Ojamajo Doremi Breakaway: The Lost Colors
by S.P.D. Gold Ranger
Summary: When mysterious visions plague Yuki's dreams, she and Nick set off to find the cause while hopefully staying together. It won't be easy, though, as a host of villains are dead set on keeping them in their place. The ultimate nightmare is about to begin...
1. Act 1: Rendezvous in a Dark Place

(Prologue, written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Oh, crap..."

I looked around, trying to erase the sight in front of me.

Both Yuki and Momoko looked like they had been tossed aside by a bulldozer, both of them slammed straight into a collapsing building.

I couldn't even gaze at the blood dripping from their mangled bodies.

It was a clear reminder of what had just happened.

And what I'd just done...

"Oh, dear god..." I gasped, falling to my knees and shivering. "I... I think I screwed up... I think I royally screwed up..."

And as if things couldn't get any worse...

"Your hypothesis is incorrect, boy."

Slowly getting to my feet, I spun around and noticed the one person I didn't want to see at all.

My father, Jeff Kelly. The old leader of the Delegates of Darkness.

"You've actually made dear old Gepetto very proud today," he continued.

Realizing what he meant by that, I took a defensive stance. No way was I going to fall for this crap.

"No. Just... no. Listen to me, dad, I would DIE before I'd do this. I'd rather rip my own throat out than fall for your lies," I growled. "I'm not your toy, dad!"

Jeff just shook his head and scoffed. "You don't get it, do you? Every child is a marionette, and I just happen to be an expert puppeteer."

Suddenly, realization crashed through my body like a wave. "You... you made me do THIS, DIDN'T YOU?" I shouted, pointing towards the mess I'd apparently created.

"It's such a shame that all this intelligence and insight comes far too late for you," Jeff sneered. "I just have one piece of advice left before I send you to the underworld."

I tried to summon my weapon, but for some inexplicable reason, I couldn't will it into my hands.

"Just remember that even after you've all run away from the shop and grown into real live boys and girls..."

Before I could try any last-ditch tactics, Jeff's hand shot out to my throat, clutching it harshly and digging into the skin to the point where the pain exploding through my body made me unable to move.

"...know that your makers are still pulling the strings."

I flailed around to the point where I couldn't breathe anymore. I let out one last scream...

...and I shot out of bed, my hair drenched with cold sweat.

When I finally trusted myself enough to move, I ran my fingers along my neck. No wounds. Good.

If I ever have another nightmare like that it'll be too soon.

Jeez... what was that all about?

It's been over a year since I had to defeat my father in order to save my sister, the only remaining member of my immediate family.

I was tempted to write it off as a nightmare caused by some runaway Gaia Energy, but I quickly shook that absurd idea off.

All of the Gaia Energy in the world had been absorbed by Dark Gaia, and when Yuki and I destroyed that freak last month, the energy just faded out of existence.

So... why in the flying hell did I have such an insane nightmare?

Any attempts by my own sleep-muddled mind to answer that question were driven away by a cute yawn to my right.

I looked to my side and watched my sister wake up.

My world brightened considerably when she gave me a sunny smile.

"Good morning, Nick-kun."

I couldn't help but smile myself.

"Good morning, Yuki-chan."

(Footage: The sequence begins with a shot of the rising sun. The χ-blade can be seen in a silhouette behind it.)

_Oshiemashou ka?  
__(Should I tell you?)_

(Footage: Yuki can be seen sitting at her desk, twiddling her thumbs.)

_Sono kawari dare ni mo  
__(Don't tell anybody, okay?)_

(Footage: Yuki mouths the words "I'm sorry for everything I've done...")

_Iwanai yakusoku shite ne  
__(Make me a pinky promise)_

(Footage: Nick walks into the room, a little concerned about his sister.)

_Yubikiri genman uso tsuitara hari senbon  
__(You have to swallow a thousand needles if you're lying to me)_

(Footage: Yuki snaps out of her reverie and looks over at Nick. She tilts her head to the side and smiles brightly. During the instrumental break, a crystal fills the background, and as it turns, we see reflections of Nick, Yuki, Error, Vanitas, Cardia Stigma, and a mysterious person wielding the χ-blade.)

_Oitatamareta mama ugomeiteiru monogatari o  
__(Let's unfold this story while we still have a chance)_

(Footage: Nick leaps away from an χ-blade strike, landing in front of Yuki. Vanitas smiles evilly, balancing the blade in his hands. Cardia Stigma floats down behind Vanitas.)

_Hirogete misete yo kako mo mirai mo  
__(Show it to me, okay? The past and the future)_

(Footage: Nick nods to Yuki, who brandishes Tobiume and charges towards Error and Vanitas. Nick wastes no time in raising his hands to the sky. The seven Majokai Crystals appear around him. Cardia Stigma just smiles.)

_Super scription of data..._

(Footage: Nick absorbs all seven crystals into himself before throwing his arms out, a burst of yellow light exploding from him. When the light clears, various memories of past _Breakaway_ events flash across the screen before eventually settling on a scene of Nick and Yuki both asleep, Yuki resting in Nick's lap. Under Nick and Yuki, two silhouettes of the χ-blade cross to form the _Ojamajo Doremi Breakaway: The Lost Colors_ logo.)

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(When fear begins to take hold, you start to lose perception of reality. Even the simplest things become twisted and mocking, with seemingly no escape. Is there any real way to fight the darkness?)

**S.P.D. Gold Ranger** and **YukiShinoya444** present:

Kosuke Toriumi as Nick Kelly  
Miyu Irino as Vanitas  
Nami Miyahara as Momoko Asuka  
Minori Chihara as Sakura Kelly  
Saeko Chiba as Yuki Shinoya  
Tomo Saeki as Saiki Shidoosha  
Mikako Takahashi as Mana Shidoosha  
Yu Kobayashi as Satoshi Shidoosha  
Yoshiko Sakakibara as Cardia Stigma  
Sakura Tange as Akemi Suzuki  
Aya Hirano as Moriko Takahashi  
and Atsuko Enomoto as Kurumi Sayoko in...

_Ojamajo Doremi Breakaway: The Lost Colors_

Story Created: December 22nd, 2010

Summary: It all started with a nightmare. Nick and Yuki are still settling back into their "normal" lives, but little do they realize that their fragile peace is about to be shattered. A fallen god from the ancient times has arrived in present day Misora, and revenge against... someone... is the only thing on her mind. As Yuki is assailed by gruesome visions, she and Nick must trust in their love for each other as Misora begins to collapse against the horrors of the fallen god Cardia Stigma. Yuki's fears have been prodded, Nick's confidence has been shaken, and the ultimate nightmare is about to begin...

Disclaimer: Neither Yuki-chan nor I own ANYTHING of Ojamajo Doremi, though we really wish we did. The series and all of its affiliations belong to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their particular country. Let's rock! I also do not own any characters from _Bakugan Battle Brawlers, Trauma Center: New Blood_ or _Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep_ that may be appearing in this story.

READ THIS NOTE: Something different for this story – the parts I write will be in Nick's point of view, and the parts YukiShinoya444 writes will be in Yuki's point of view. This is for the whole story, unless otherwise noted. Okay? Good. Let's go.

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Act 1: Rendezvous in a Dark Place

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

It started with a nightmare I had last week... This is weird, since it started out normally and happily and I just assumed it'd stay that way.

Then again, I keep forgetting that my dreams always had a tendency of rushing around and spreading out without my control. It was just my mind, taking full advantage of creating the world around me that I kept locked up while awake.

It was a world where everything was supposed to be peaceful.

...That's the thing.

I don't know where I went wrong with this one. My nightmares usually stemmed from shadowy figures, horror movies, and the works...

It was partially the reason why Saiki refused to let me even touch his novels, always claiming that I wouldn't be able to handle the death and horrific torture always described... always going on in a world that was a part of mine... but so far away all the same.

He might have been right.

...But this was different.

This was something that my subconscious mind never touched once before... it was something that, I thought, would stay untouched.

He-he... It appears that I was wrong.

"Saiki-kun?" I looked around happily, searching for my boyfriend amidst the forest around us, with butterflies flittering about. "Hey, Saiki-kun, where are you?"

I hummed quietly, stepping over a tree root as one of the butterflies landed on my wrist as I lifted it up. I blew the delicate creature away and just like that I finally saw him: my Saiki-kun.

He wasn't looking in my direction thought even when I ran up to him and took his hand, giggling quietly as our fingers entwined together perfectly. I kissed his wrist, beaming up at him as he didn't say a word.

"Saiki-kun? I love you."

What would have been normal: him smiling at me, saying he loved me too, pulling me into his warm arms, kissing my forehead, moving down to my lips, and then everything becoming a blur after that... me waking up flushed and giggly in the end.

Something else happened _instead_ and here's where it got weird.

"...Dreams are interesting, aren't they?" Saiki's voice was quiet, almost whispery enough to where I could hardly hear him talk. Confused I reached up and brushed my free hand against his cheek, skimming along his jaw.

...He felt cold. Not warm. Cold.

"Almost anything can happen to anyone," he went on like nothing was wrong and that startled me a bit when he tugged me after him, smiling now and easily despite something just being wrong about everything.

I nearly tripped but stayed with him, gulping as our hands tightened together. "I-I... What are you talking about, Saiki-kun?"

"Observe," Saiki muttered as he snapped his fingers and just like that, a chill rushed through and I gasped, shivering as snow blew through, covering the forest and grass, killing the butterflies and making everything cold.

I clutched myself to Saiki but he only laughed softly. He wasn't even warm by comparison.

"Yuki-chan was named for the snow... wasn't she? Strange, you should be used to this sort of thing, shouldn't you?"

"I-I-I... I uh..." A blanket was pulled over me from who knows where and his icy fingertips were at my face, gliding downwards to my shoulders as I coughed lightly. "S-Saiki-kun... what is this?"

"It's pretty pathetic that I'm always here when I have better things to do." The younger prince's tone was dull, almost monotonous but his words had me flinch anyway. "You have interesting dreams though, princess."

Now here's the part where my body acts without me thinking about it.

I yank him close, crushing our lips together but only feeling a cold wintery breeze.

_Not good._

I placed my hand on the back of his neck and it felt cold and rubbery like a corpse.

_No._

I shoved him away only for Saiki to disappear along with the snow, leaving only a dead, desolate place behind.

"S-Saiki-kun..." I dropped the blanket around my shoulders and walked forward shakily, rubbing my hands together. "Where did you go?"

I could hear his voice, muttering and speaking nothing that was discernable, but I couldn't see even a hint of him, and the truth was that I... _Well_...

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't just a little bit frightened by the turn of events.

"Saiki-kun, where are you?" I gasped, breaking into a sprint, searching about desperately. "Saiki-kun?"

"Are you lost?" It wasn't Saiki's voice that spoke up... I stopped and turned around, seeing a little girl that looked a lot like me... with wide eyes of innocent curiosity. "Why are you worrying about some Saiki boy when nii-chan's hurt?"

_...Nii-chan? Nick-kun...?_

"W-What are you talking about? Nick-kun's with Momo-chan like he always is..." I laughed lightly, trying to stomp the rising dread and horror piling up in my gut.

"Who is Momo-chan? Is she a friend?" Her brown eyes were widening. "Who is Saiki? Is he special to you?"

"You have to be kidding..." I bent down to her level. "Momo-chan and Saiki-kun are..."

_...Wait. Of course. At this young of an age, I didn't know either of those two! Why am I so worried when it makes perfect sense?_

"Nii-chan's hurt." A shadow casted over the younger me's face as she tugged at my sleeve and soon a slightly deranged smile pulled at her lips. "Hey, hey... Why do you have blood on your hands?"

This is the part where everything spiraled out of control.

"W-What...?" I stared down at my red-stained hands. Red. Bloodied.

I screamed.

"Miss, miss," the child was singing now, laughing like nothing was wrong... _like nothing was wrong..._

"This is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream," I repeated to myself over and over again, backing away in horror, wanting to just disappear and for everything to go back normal right then and there. "Stop... Stop... Stop..."

Then I tripped over something and fell backwards, the little girl was coming closer, her smile widening as she stopped, proudly pointing to what it was I tripped over.

"See? Look at what you did."

I looked down and instantly shot my hands to my mouth, feeling like I was about to throw up.

My brother. Nick. Mutilated like he was stabbed over and over again by a thousand knives.

Blood dripped from my hands and I scrambled back, tears welling up in my eyes as I shook my head over and over again.

"No, no, no, no, no, no..."

I stopped, falling into the dirt as I crawled away and almost into someone's shoe.

"Well, well... and here I thought I'd be the killer here..." I cowered and Saiki crouched down, taking one of my bloodied, ruined murdering hands and kissing my finger, lapping up the scarlet iron. "Interesting work, Yuki-chan. It's still unforgivable, but of course, but still fairly interesting all the same."

"I-I didn't mean to..." I whimpered, covering my mouth as I begged. "I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Saiki-kun, I'm so, so sorry..."

"Is that so?" He smirked then. "Prove it."

I was desperate.

"H-How?"

Saiki laughed like it was practical, and then I saw the little girl beside him, both of them grinning maliciously as he pulled me up, leaning forward until his face was buried in the crook of my neck while the girl took my arm, her nails digging in like daggers.

"Miss, it's very simple."

I couldn't move.

"You just have to die, is all," My boyfriend murmured against my throat and I felt numb while everything in my head was just whirling and screaming for escape... to just run away from it all.

"It's easy," she giggled.

"So easy," he agreed, humming.

And just like that, I felt cold, sharp metal against my throat.

I woke right up in a cold sweat, shaking, trembling, and sobbing. Nick pulled me into his arms then, but I couldn't say a word.

...I also couldn't face Saiki anymore. I was afraid... but not at him.

I didn't know what I was afraid of.

That was the real scary part.

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I knew something was wrong with how my brother wrung his hands together and then yanked them apart again, huffing as he ran his fingers shakily through his hair.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I asked, pouring in some orange juice and handing it over. "Nick-kun, you look so troubled... Did something happen last night?"

"I-I..." He smiled at me. His smile was strained.

It bothered more than it should have.

"Uh... So where's Momoko?"

"...Why?" I blinked innocently, tilting my head to the side as he groaned, shaking his head over and over again like he was trying to convince himself of something. "Nick-nii-chan?"

"...Saiki-kun still in the Mahoutsukaikai with Akatsuki-kun?"

I flinched and only nodded. The easy thing about avoiding my boyfriend was where he stayed... in a world that wasn't mine. And he was so busy, too... he didn't need to visit me.

_But he's _**lonely**_!_ A part of me complained harshly. _He's lonely and you're not going to see him because of some stupid dream! Grow up, Shinoya! It was a NIGHTMARE, big deal. Everyone has those!_

"Do you want to speak to Saiki-kun?" I was proud to admit that my voice didn't shake.

But I was also a little disgusted.

"Saiki-kun has many books on psychology... Maybe he could help me out..." Nick was talking more to himself than he was to me and I wasn't even paying attention anymore. "He's good at that... Plus, it's been a while."

_**He's going to kill me.**_

_No he won't! Get over yourself! Saiki-kun wouldn't do that! It was a nightmare! Name one time that he ever hurt you!_

_**He... He's going to kill me...**_

_SHUT UP!_

My smile twitched. "S-Saiki-kun... I wonder how he is... I'm a little worried about him... as well..."

"Then let's go see him!" My brother exclaimed, standing up brightly, laughing. "He'll give me answers... I know he will..."

I followed after him, uneasily. "O-Of course..."

_Saiki-kun won't hurt me. He'll kill me. No... I'm being stupid... Saiki-kun isn't... like that..._

Tears were welling up in my eyes again, but not because of my fears... If anything, I was disgusted at myself for doubting someone that I loved... someone that I had always adored and always trusted.

...There was one bit of truth through all this: I didn't deserve him and he didn't deserve me.

He deserved better. I deserved worse.

That was why I needed to be punished, right?

_But, from his hand, or... or...?_

I shut down every thought and looked down, laughing softly as my brother turned to me in confusion, looking understandably worried.

"Yuki-chan?"

"Don't worry!" I squealed, beaming brightly and burying every negative emotion right then and there. "I want to see Saiki-kun right away!"

He smiled and I just felt sick to my stomach that he actually believed my act.

_Great... now I'm pushing nii-chan away too... Oh well._

There were more important matters at hand right now anyway.

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

It didn't take a rocket scientist for me to see that my sister was visibly stressed. I wonder if it was because she was having nightmares, too.

This is just too close together to be a coincidence...

"Yuki-chan?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her. "You know, if there's ever anything you want to talk about, I'll listen to you, okay? No matter how much you rant and ramble, all right?"

She smiled and nodded. "Thanks, nii-chan."

Yuki wasted no time in leaning against my side. I could imagine why she's been acting kinda clingy to me lately. I'm sure it has something to do with what we're seeing in our dreams.

I just hope she remembers that I'll always be there for her no matter what happens.

I almost lost her when we fought Dark Gaia. I don't want to lose her ever again.

"You had a nightmare last night, didn't you, Nick-kun?"

Whoa. She knew about that? "How'd you know, sis?"

Yuki smiled sadly. "I could tell. You weren't acting like you usually do in the morning. Was it that bad?"

"Maybe as bad as yours," I admitted. Now I'm sure this isn't coincidence. Something is _very_ wrong here.

"That's why we should probably go see Saiki-kun," I continued. "He's good at psychology and all that crap, so he might be able to help us."

If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have seen anything.

But I definitely noticed Yuki shivering when I mentioned the name of her boyfriend.

It must have been an aftershock from that nightmare she had.

It was too quick to write it off as coincidence, and it was still too early to link it to anything else.

And that kinda scared me a bit, to be brutally honest.

"Nick-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"I... I know I'm probably going to sound like a stupid child by asking this, but..."

Yuki blushed a bright red. "Could we hold hands on the way there?"

I just smiled at that, linking my right hand with her left hand and giving her a gentle squeeze.

I was so relieved to see her happy again. "Thanks, nii-chan."

"Whatever you want, sis," I replied.

As we walked off hand in hand, I hadn't even noticed someone watching me from around a nearby corner. If I'd been paying attention, I would have noticed him and his strange mask.

"Not what I expected," the boy in the mask said. "Not at all."

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"Saiki-kun? Hello?" I exclaimed when we reached the library where Saiki had said he would be. "That's weird. Where is he?"

So, we waited for a few minutes, but no one showed up.

"He's probably busy," Yuki stated, visibly saddened. "Let's get out of here, Nick-kun."

"Aw, don't be sad, nee-chan," I responded, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "We can always come back later if you want. I've got no trouble coming back here."

Yuki smiled a bit, squeezing my free hand. "You're really nice, Nick-kun, you know that?"

"I've been told," I responded, blushing a bit.

"_This world will be no more..."_

I spun around at that, trying to pinpoint the source of this strange voice.

"_All will cease to exist..."_

To my right, the air shimmered and wobbled precariously, and inside the shimmering, I caught a glimpse of the boy in the mask.

"_The new master, Stigma..."_

Becoming really annoyed by this point, I flicked my hand out and willed Hanyou Hikari to materialize in my free hand.

"What the heck was that?" Yuki wondered, still holding my other hand.

"Probably just more freaky stuff..." I noted.

I turned around so we could leave, only to actually find the boy in the mask standing there in front of me.

I was finally able to get a good look at him now that he wasn't being so vague; he was wearing a black-and-red bodysuit and appeared slightly muscular. I couldn't see his face at all, being that it was hidden by the helmet he was wearing.

"All right, start talking," I proclaimed, readying my weapon just in case. "What was with all that gibberish you just spouted?"

The boy in the mask stepped forward slowly. "Exactly what I said, idiot," the boy responded in a mocking tone. "In a matter of days, this world and all you know will be lost forever."

"That has got to be the absolute stupidest thing I've ever heard!" I shouted back.

"Stupid, or true," the boy stated, raising his hand and materializing his own weapon, one that looked incredibly evil.

"My name is Vanitas," the boy explained. "My Void Gear is the mark upon which all shall be lost."

Vanitas looked up at me. "Or am I going too fast for you two?"

I quickly shifted into fighting stance.

Looking over at Yuki, I asked her "You gonna be okay?"

Yuki nodded, releasing my free hand and materializing Tobiume into it, readying her own stance.

"Maybe a little brawl will help me get my mind off that crazy nightmare," Yuki stated.

"As long as you're happy, sis," I responded, caressing her cheek for a second before turning back to face Vanitas.

"Good," Vanitas sneered, readying his Void Gear. "Let's see what you're made of."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"_What do I have to do?"_

"_It's simple... just die."_

"Leave us alone!" I exclaimed just as Tobiume clashed with Void Gear. I couldn't see his face past the mask... but something told me he was smirking.

And if he was our typical two-cent arrogant bastard of a villain, I was sure of it.

"Yuki-chan, incoming!"

I snapped up and leapt just in time to see my brother slam into Vanitas, both of them groaning as Nick knocked him away. "What do you want with us anyway?"

"Just die."

I blinked once, feeling familiar cold metal against my neck as I gasped.

_No..._

"_I just want you to die, Yuki-chan."_

_No, no, no, no, no, no..._

"The library is no place for a scuffle. _MAKURAYAMI_!"

My eyes widened as dark energy rushed past me at Vanitas, him crying out in surprise as I felt a familiar presence by me.

"Oh Saiki-kun, about time!" Nick exclaimed pleasantly with a wide grin. Burying my fears, I looked at my boyfriend shakily, feeling myself tremble already.

It didn't take a rocket scientist or a people expert to know he wasn't happy.

The way his lips were twisted in a grimace and how his fingers were twitching... it... it was safe to say he was absolutely livid.

I cowered against one of the shelves.

Then Saiki had his throat in a death grip, a familiar dark aura surrounding him. Vanitas gasped.

"Y-You..."

"These books are the only thing I have left of someone who isn't around anymore. If you're going to fight with Nick-kun, this I can understand but..." he growled. "Don't you dare..."

_**He's going to kill me... Run!**_ My mind desperately shouted but I was paralyzed. Frozen.

_Whenever he's like this... Saiki-kun..._

"Don't you dare erase the last good thing I have!" Saiki exclaimed as his grip tightened, no doubt bruising Vanitas's neck.

"I... I see..." And just like that, he was gone and my boyfriend growled.

"Damn coward..."

"Hey, Saiki-kun?" Nick seemed surprised and anxious as he approached him, and I flinched. But before I could cry out a 'don't', Saiki already slammed his fist into my brother's face.

_No..._

"YOU IDIOT! I KNOW it's DIFFICULT to avoid fights every now and then... but _HERE_? OF ALL THE PLACES FOR TROUBLE TO FIND YOU, IT WAS _**HERE**_?"

"Hey, it's not my fault..." My brother hissed, immediately on the offensive and in a battle stance. "Damn it, Saiki, what the hell..."

"You wouldn't understand... If..." Hysterical, he pointed towards me, shaking. "If Yuki-chan died and the only thing you had left of her was destroyed in one of your stupid fights... then what? This is all I have left, Nick-kun! THIS IS ALL I HAVE LEFT OF HIM!"

I backed into the shelf, eyes wide and horrified.

_**He wants to kill me... He wants me dead...!**_

But Nick looked just confused.

"Did something happen to Akatsuki-kun...?"

"Nii-chan's alive and well, thank you... but there was another person I cared about..." Saiki's pointed hand curled into a tight fist and he was almost shaking. "For heaven's sake... Have you ever looked around you and thought 'this isn't the time or place'? If you destroyed my library... I... I'd have to kill you, Nick-kun."

"I'd like to see you try." Nick growled. "I don't get what the big deal is, Saiki-kun, but you can't go around screaming and yelling..."

"You lost your mother, didn't you? Isn't it the same thing?" The younger prince slumped now and instead of angry, he just looked tired and depressed. "Forget it. You wouldn't understand... You're too careless..."

"C-Careless?"

"Yuki-chan, I apologize." He smiled at me sadly, approaching me and patting my shoulder.

I flinched and words slipped out before I could stop them, "Get away..."

Saiki looked surprised before resigned, sighing. "Yes, I shouldn't have lost my temper there... but I couldn't help it..."

"Saiki-kun..." Nick still looked on edge and ready to counterattack at any moment. "Look..."

"What did you even want to talk to me about? I still want to help... even if you did nearly destroy this place..." The younger twin added the last bit darkly before shaking his head. "What is it?"

"I... I..." The green witch looked around worriedly. "Maybe... not here..."

Saiki smiled ruefully before offering me a hand.

"Yuki-chan, shall we?"

I stared and looked down. Then I forced myself to place my hand in his, taking in a shaky breath.

"O-Okay..."

I almost didn't notice how my boyfriend's smile faltered and how my brother looked tense all over again.

The key word was almost. I noticed...

I felt worse about it.

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"Nightmares?" Saiki plucked a leaf from the bush as Nick nodded and I stayed seated on a stump. "Nick-kun, that's normal..."

"Momoko and Yuki-chan were dead. I killed them."

I curled in more on myself at that, sighing.

"Are you sure? Well, I'm no dream expert... Akatsuki-kun on the other hand could go into your minds and extract the problem if he wanted to."

"How does that even work? I mean, he's the daytime elemental and you're the night elemental... shouldn't this be more of your thing?"

"I can go into dreams and implant ideas but I can't take them out... so unless you want me wandering about and planting thoughts into your head that would eventually drive you insane, I'd advise against it."

I shut my eyes tightly.

"...Alright... So Akatsuki-kun can help...? Alright. But... Do you know anything about something known as 'Stigma'?"

"...Stigma?" Saiki sounded surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Huh? Well, they called it the new master."

"...That can't be right..." My boyfriend sounded uneasy. "Then again, why am I surprised? This always happens!"

He laughed and I flinched at the sound, a whimper escaping my lips.

"Yuki-chan... What's wrong?" Nick was by my side as I perked up and met my brother's eyes, a strained smile pulling at my lips. "You're acting weird..."

"I'm sorry," Saiki muttered as I looked back to see him shrug his shoulders. "I... I haven't been feeling well lately... My brother... I'll get my nii-chan right away..."

"Um, Saiki-kun..." He disappeared after Nick could say another word and I blinked once. "What's wrong with him?"

"I... I don't know..." I shook my head quickly, laughing softly as I did. "Saiki-kun was so strange..."

"Yuki-chan, you didn't even say anything to him."

I flinched.

"That nightmare you had... what was it?"

"...Nick-kun. You dreamt of killing me and Momo-chan, right?" I smiled sadly, backing away as he blinked in surprise. "I... I killed you in mine, but..."

"But...?"

"Saiki-kun said... the only way to redeem myself was to die... He wanted me dead for my crimes, Nick-kun... He..."

Nick was frozen and my breathing was getting heavier.

"H-He hates me, Nick-kun... Saiki-kun hates me..."

"Oh, Yuki-chan..."

He pulled me close and I pressed my face into his chest, fiddling with his sleeve.

"Don't you think he hates me?"

"Yuki-chan... It was just a dream..." I felt him petting my hair and I flinched. "Just a nightmare..."

_Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun wants to kill me..._

"Oh, are we ruining something?"

We both perked up in surprise and turned.

Akatsuki was standing there with a wide grin, Saiki beside him, gripping his sleeve. "Saiki-kun said you needed my help, Kellysi-kun."

"Y...Yeah... Uh..." I pushed him away and towards the two of them, shaking my head wordlessly. "Akatsuki-kun, Saiki-kun said..."

"Sure thing, sure thing."

Saiki wouldn't look at my eyes and I wouldn't look at him so I just focused on my older brother as he stumbled towards Akatsuki.

Then the daytime elemental had his hand on Nick's forehead, whispering something in his ear.

And... my brother collapsed just like that, Akatsuki squatting down with his hand glowing a mysterious violet aura.

"N-Nii-chan..." Both Saiki and I spoke at the same time and I fell back as he looked at me in confusion. "U-Uh..."

"Just a moment." Akatsuki smirked. "This will be fun... I wonder what Nick-kun dreams about. Time to find out."

"Be careful, nii-chan," Saiki murmured. "It might be dangerous."

"Uh..." I backed away. "I... I..."

Then my boyfriend turned to me.

"Yuki-chan?"

Everything went black.

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

_The wrecked buildings. Oh, crap, not this again._

_And just like before, trapped in the wreckage of these two particular buildings, were the mangled bodies of my sister and my girlfriend._

"_What the hell is the point of all this?" I screamed, wondering why I've been dragged back here again._

"_Didn't I tell you?" my dad responded. I turned around and saw my father floating there, just as he had before._

"_Didn't I tell YOU to __**STAY THE HELL OUT OF MY DREAMS?**__" I roared, a powerful energy aura exploding around me._

_Dad didn't seem fazed by anything. "But it's too late for redemption, boy. You've crossed the line of no return. You completely murdered the two people most precious to you in your life. There's nowhere left for you to turn."_

_I slumped to my knees, feeling the guilt wash through me. He was right... I'm a damn monster..._

"_NICK-KUN! Don't listen to his lies!"_

_I looked up at this, noticing another Yuki running towards me alongside Akatsuki. What the hell...?_

"_And so she returns," dad sneered._

"_Kelly-san," Akatsuki stated. "You're supposed to be dead. So why don't you drop the act?"_

_I watched, quite bewildered, as Akatsuki waved his hands and shot a burst of golden energy at my father._

_What surprised me the most was the fact that my father wasn't there anymore. In his place was a woman around my mother's age, with dark purple hair tied into two ponytails, piercing yellow eyes, and wearing an elegant robe._

_Now pardon my French, but what the hell?_

"_You must be the Stigma that Vanitas-san mentioned," Akatsuki noted._

"_My NAME, you little brat, is Cardia Stigma," the woman responded. "I am the future empress of this world."_

"_That means Vanitas is working for you!" I accused, now incredibly angry._

_Cardia just shook her head. "He is under my employ, but he refuses to follow my orders. He's only really after you, so I see no reason to not let him have his fun."_

_Okay, now I was REALLY confused._

_But more importantly, I was angry now._

_I thrust my hands forward, both of them beginning to shine with a bright emerald light._

"_Cardia, I'm going to tell you exactly what I told my father. Stop trying to mess with my heads, stay away from my sister, stay away from my girlfriend, and __**STAY OUT OF MY DREAMS!**__"_

With that, I unleashed a massive burst of light that consumed everything around me.

I was back in the library not too long after that, my eyes shooting open and my hair drenched with sweat.

"You okay, Kellysi-kun?" Akatsuki asked.

I nodded, shaking my head free of the cobwebs. "I should be. Find anything interesting?"

"Not much, but I think I know who's planting these strange dreams in your mind," Akatsuki responded. "She said her name is Cardia Stigma."

Suddenly, I noticed Saiki perk up at that. "Wait. Did you say Cardia Stigma? Nii-chan, you can NOT be serious."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Akatsuki asked, a little confused.

So was I. What did Saiki know about this?

"Because Cardia Stigma is supposed to be dead," the night elemental responded.

I decided to throw caution to the wind. "Saiki-kun, you've got some explaining to do."

Saiki reached for one of the shelves and pulled out a rather thick book. Okay...

"This book talks about 'fallen gods', divine people who, for one reason or another, lost their divine abilities and knowledge in some way, shape, or form," Saiki explained.

"And what the heck does this Cardia Stigma character have anything to do with this?" I asked.

"Because, if my knowledge is correct, Cardia Stigma IS a fallen god," Saiki stated. "She used to be the advisor to the goddess of wisdom, Athena. But Cardia eventually grew bored with her duties and went down to Earth many a time to cavort with the people. As you might guess, Zeus didn't take this too lightly. After one trip to Earth too many, Zeus confronted Cardia about her transgressions. After a long and heated argument, Zeus eventually banished Cardia from Olympus, sealing her in the mountains where her divine power was supposed to just fade away on its own."

"I take it her power never actually faded?" I wondered, trying to size up the competition. I needed to know the details of what we were up against this time. I seriously wonder why everyone under the sun keeps trying to kill us...

"It did for a while, but after a couple millennia, her power started coming back until she had regained her powers and was able to break out from the mountains," Saiki continued. "She must be the one who's giving you these nightmares, if what nii-chan said he saw in your mind was true."

"But how does someone plant nightmares in peoples' minds like that? I thought it was impossible!"

"It's not something a lot of people can do," Saiki explained. "Inception is a tricky business. That's why I don't do it too often."

At that moment, I noticed that Yuki was still out of it.

Just then, as Saiki walked over there to hopefully snap her out of it...

"No... don't... don't come any closer... he's going to kill me..."

She's still worried about that? I guess because this is Saiki we're talking about, the love of her life. Something like that would be enough to rattle anybody.

"Come on, Yuki-chan, wake up..."

Yuki slowly opened her eyes, though they pinged open all the way at the sight of her boyfriend.

Quick as lightning, Yuki hopped to her feet, summoning Tobiume, a bit of a freaked out look in her eyes.

"_**DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!"**_

With all the swiftness of greased lightning, Yuki swung Tobiume straight towards Saiki.

Without even realizing what I was doing, I hopped over in front of the night elemental, taking the full force of Yuki's attack.

I collapsed to my knees, blood dripping from a jagged cut along my chest. It suddenly became hard to breathe, and that kinda scared me.

Yuki's eyes flickered for a second, her mouth hanging open at what she'd just done. Tobiume slipped out of her grasp and clattered to the floor, disappearing not a second later.

I made eye contact with my sister, and I was surprised to still see fear in them. But this fear was mostly of what she'd just done.

"I... I..."

I started to stand up, but was quickly pushed down by Yuki.

"Hold still, Nick-kun!" Yuki nearly screamed. _"Soten kisshun, I reject!"_

Within seconds, my cut was gone and I could stand up again.

"What..." Yuki groaned, tears falling from her brown eyes. "What kind of monster am I?"

Those words stunned me.

My hands immediately shot to Yuki's shaking shoulder, rubbing them softly so she'd calm down.

"Listen to me, Yuki-chan. You are NOT a monster," I explained to her. "I don't want to hear you calling yourself something like that."

Yuki didn't seem convinced, though. "Wouldn't it be better if I just went away and stopped being a burden to you, Nick-kun? Would that really be better?"

Seriously, was my sister really saying these things? "Oh, god, no. That's NOT going to happen, sis. Why would you ever think you were being a burden to me?"

And Yuki seemed to lose all of her composure, throwing herself into my arms and crying her eyes out.

I just returned the embrace, not wanting to let my adorable little sister cry alone.

For a good while, we just stood there, Yuki just letting her tears fall.

"Nick-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"I... I love you..."

I leaned down to kiss Yuki's forehead. "I love you, too, Yuki-chan."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Meanwhile, in another section of the Mahoutsukaikai, a portal opened and three young teenagers popped out of it.

"HEY! Mana-chan, don't pull on my hair!" Sakura Kelly, the wavy brown-haired fourteen-year-old with green eyes shouted, addressing Mana Shidoosha, the thirteen-year-old with bright blue eyes and black hair split naturally into two long ponytails.

"We've gotta hurry, then, Sakura-chan!" Mana responded. "Anything that's bad enough to worry Satoshi-kun HAS to be bad! By the way, onii-chan, what exactly are we tracking?"

"It's not a what, Mana-chan," Satoshi Shidoosha, the fifteen-year-old with black hair just like his father's, responded. "It's a who. Error somehow escaped to our parent's time, so we've gotta hurry and find that jerk before he messes anything up."

"Wow, Satoshi-kun, you're so serious now," Mana wondered.

"Yeah, Satoshi-kun, this isn't like you," Sakura noted. "Why are you so obsessed with destroying this Error creep?"

"Because, Sakura-chan," Satoshi responded. "Because the χ-blade has absolutely no place in this or any world."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"What's... going on?"

Saiki looked so confused and so worried and Akatsuki was beside him in an instant, a gentle hand squeezing his shoulder. "What's wrong, Sai?"

Nick's arms tightened around me and I stared blankly.

_Saiki-kun won't hurt me... because I haven't really done anything. It was just a dream right?_

"Familiar presences," my boyfriend muttered, not even attempting to move his brother's hand away.

I felt a twinge in my chest.

_Akatsuki-kun is to Saiki-kun what Nick-kun is to me..._

Before I knew it, I was focusing too hard and Saiki was smiling softly towards Akatsuki in a manner I had never even seen before...

It was like a secretive smile between the two of them that made everyone else feel like they were intruding on something intimate.

_Is this how Saiki-kun feels when he sees Nick-kun and I together?_

My heart thudded in my chest.

_I'm always telling him that it's just plain silly to feel envious around one's brother..._

The fear in me all but withered away completely as I remembered.

_Saiki-kun's only this vulnerable when Akatsuki-kun is around. Akatsuki-kun has that power over him... It's different._

All I felt was jealous.

"Shall we investigate... leave these two alone? Though Yuki-chan, I'm a little curious... You're usually much nicer than that." Akatsuki smiled up at me though it didn't reach his eyes... Even I could tell all the warmth there from just a few minutes earlier where Saiki was the only thing that held his attention completely died out into a perspective and curious coldness.

Chances were that he didn't like the idea that the injuries I caused Nick would have easily been dealt on my boyfriend instead had my brother not stepped in.

_I couldn't blame him._

"Don't ask, Akatsuki-kun, it's just... She's been under a lot of stress lately," Nick stated as he pushed me away with an apologetic smile. "Don't get upset or anything..."

Saiki shot him a pleading stare that (if under normal circumstances) would have been absolutely adorable.

My fingers twitched as he opened his mouth.

"Y-Yes, let's go investigate," he stated softly and submissively as he tugged on Akatsuki's sleeve. "It... It's probably important, nii-chan and I think it would be best if Yuki-chan and I stayed away from each other in a while..."

My jaw dropped and I was more or less tempted to start apologizing and groveling. My brother gripped my hand tightly and my lower lip was shaking.

But what else did I expect? One nightmare dug a trench between us and practically unwound every delicate thread between Saiki and me.

It was like we were strangers... and I've never felt like that before.

After all, when we first met... I liked him more than I would have cared to admit (wasn't the correct term 'infatuated'?) and our hands fit together easily as if they belonged there and we'd known each other all our life.

Saiki slipped from being 'my boyfriend and the younger twin prince' to just 'Akatsuki's twin brother'. I couldn't blame him.

He didn't even know what was going on.

He didn't know what happened in my nightmare.

He didn't know that I was scared to death of him because of it.

He didn't know anything...

_And I didn't plan on telling him._

How could I expect him to behave like everything was okay even though I knew he had his limits? I hated it, because even Nick had seen Saiki completely vulnerable and in tears, and I could only imagine such a thing.

I didn't understand him.

I didn't even deserve to _know_ him.

"Sure thing, let's go, Saiki-kun," Akatsuki nodded towards Nick. "We'll call if there's anything wrong and be sure to take care of Yuki-chan... alright?"

"Right..." Nick looked towards me uneasily.

I stared at Saiki as he glanced towards me with a weak smile, shrugging as if brushing away the whole incident and it just made me feel worse than I could imagine.

_Understanding to a fault, it seems._

The two of them exited and I finally just sighed, shaking my head sadly as I backed against on of the shelves, desperately reaching out for one of Saiki's books.

The same books, I hoped, that he treasured so much that he got into an argument with nii-chan over.

"Yuki-chan? Are you feeling alright...?"

"I am, Nick-kun, thanks."

I could almost feel the relieved smile he was wearing.

I opened the book, smelling dust and old spices... a scent I remembered picking up on Saiki quite a few times.

This one _had_ to be a favorite.

"Who do you think it was that left Saiki-kun these books?" I wondered aloud, feeling Nick's hand on my shoulder. "Who was it?"

"No idea," he mused, leaning close and over my shoulder as I flipped the pages and stopped, seeing a dusted and crippled photograph with neat penmanship on the back corner.

"What...?" My brother was confused as I picked it up and read the lettering carefully.

_Keep This Innocence In Mind Always._

I flipped the photo and dropped the book in surprise.

I'd seen pictures like this before... in Momoko's scrapbook that she'd been making ever since returning from America and in Doremi's house... even Onpu-onee-sama had books and books filled with pictures of her as a child, smiling brightly in her mother and father's arms.

Saiki at such a young age was something I was only able to dream of before. In the faded photo, too, Akatsuki's arms where wrapped around him and he was grinning widely and cheerfully like any carefree youth. Fujio, Leon, and Tooru were crowded around them, too, laughing.

"Huh..." Nick muttered, popping his lips in curiosity. "I didn't think Saiki-kun would have one of these... I mean, I didn't know... They have paintings in the castle but never any photographs..."

My eyes were stuck on Saiki's wide and purely innocent coal eyes filled with surprise and wonder. His small hand was gripping the arm wrapped around him and he was practically leaning into the embrace. His smile was small and almost fearfully shy, reminding me a little too much of Akemi.

Only one word could describe it.

_Precious._

"I-I don't think he'll mind do you?" I asked Nick shakily as I delicately folded the picture in half and stuck it in my pocket, laughing a bit as he stared at me in surprise. "J-Just a little memento to remind myself why I love Saiki-kun so much..."

Finally, my brother just sighed and shook his head as I put the book back.

"Yuki-chan..."

"J-Just between us, okay?" I pleaded, finger pressed to lips. "I'm just going to borrow this for a while... I'll return it later."

He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say, Yuki-chan. Just don't let anything happen to it."

I smiled.

"Of course not."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The grandfather clock rang I snapped up in confusion.

They still hadn't returned.

"...What's taking them so long?" Nick wondered for me as I blinked repeatedly and worriedly.

_Saiki-kun..._

I bit onto my lip.

_What if something happened to him? Sweet kami-sama... The last thing I ever said to him was..._

"I'm sure they're fine, Yuki-chan. They're strong alone and if I remember correctly, they're perfectly..." Nick paused for just a moment, distracted by something. "I just realized something, Yuki-chan."

I looked at him, confused.

"What?"

"...That clock is wrong. It's four hours slow. Why do you think that is?" He stood up, approaching the grandfather clock as it ticked. "Saiki-kun's such a picky guy... I highly doubt something like this would go by unnoticed for long.

"What's the big deal with that?" I wondered. "I mean, the time isn't ever important, Nick-kun?"

"It's just weird... Remember that time we forgot about daylight savings time and Saiki-kun got onto us about us and practically set back every one of our clocks."

I blinked once.

"_Time goes on even when we don't... That's why it's important to not get left behind or rushing too far ahead."_

Nick had a point.

"What the heck? Saiki-kun's wouldn't make this mistake..." I stepped towards the clock, staring up at it in confusion. "This isn't right..."

"Heh. That's what I said."

I frowned, pursing my lips. "Strange indeed..."

Then Nick touched the face curiously.

"I wonder..."

A blue light was emitted from it and my eyes widened.

"N-Nick-kun?"

He fell to his side and I was instantly beside him, shaking him desperately and his eyes were wide, glowing a light blue. "W-What the hell, nii-chan?"

It seemed even now things never really changed with him and his dizzy spells.

Just my luck.

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Slowly but surely, I opened my eyes. No weird dream this time, but what the hell just happened to me?

"You okay, nii-chan?" Yuki asked. I looked up and saw her staring at me with a concerned expression.

"I should be," I replied, shaking my head a bit to clear the fuzz out. While I hadn't been hit by a strange vision this time, I could have sworn I'd heard a statement fluttering through my hazy unconsciousness...

"Power both of this world and power of all worlds beyond it"

"We might wanna move out of the library, at the very least," I noted. "If something else happens, we wouldn't want Saiki-kun going crazy on us."

And again, she shivered when I mentioned Saiki's name. Color me now officially confused.

Suddenly, I felt a strange presence.

"Yuki-chan? Did you feel that?"

"So, you can actually sense me. I'm impressed. No one else can."

I looked back towards the door, and saw Vanitas standing there.

"You just don't give up, do you?" I taunted.

"I figured, I might as well eliminate the pest now, while he's vulnerable," Vanitas stated. "Nobody will miss him."

"NO!" Yuki exclaimed, tightening her hold on me. "You're not touching my brother! He's the only one I can still trust!"

_What?_ That was what my mind said at that statement.

"Sorry, little girl, but rules are rules," Vanitas responded, materializing Void Gear and holding it above his head.

But just before he could strike, I felt something fluttering behind us. Looking up, a portal had just opened, and out of it flew someone very familiar.

Long silver hair, tied into a ponytail.

Bright magenta eyes.

A heart-shaped hairclip.

A bright pink vest with a heart-shaped emblem on it.

Wait. Could that really be?

"Special delivery from the future!" the silver-haired girl exclaimed before delivering a flying kick to the side of Vanitas' head, knocking him straight through the doors of the library and out into the field.

Yuki and I quickly followed.

The silver-haired girl looked back and smiled brightly at me. "Looks like I arrived just in time, huh?"

When I looked into our new arrival's eyes, I instantly remembered something...

The silver-haired girl smiled again, doing a quick pose. "That's right! The force from the future, Julie Makimoto, at your service!"

I couldn't help but sweatdrop at that.

Julie looked confused. "Was that a little too over-the-top?"

"So, another one joins the fun," Vanitas responded. "You're just one more obstacle on the way to the boy."

"Put up or shut up, mask boy," Julie taunted, shifting into fighting stance.

And with that, Julie charged forward.

I was worried that she was going to get hurt, but my fears were quickly put to rest as I watched Julie easily duck a strike from Vanitas and whack him in his side with a flying kick.

"You are beginning to annoy me now, little girl," Vanitas growled, spinning Void Gear in his hands.

Suddenly, something hit me.

_"The dark light... so you are special as well."_

_"I am everything, and I am nothing."_

_"But how much longer... will that confidence last?"_

_"The test is to happen soon. You must be prepared."_

_"I am negativity, and negativity is me."_

_"In your present state... you can not possibly understand."_

I quickly hopped to my feet, brandishing Hanyou Hikari.

"YOU!" I shouted. "Now I remember you!"

I remembered the fight I had with this Sentiment character when Yuki and I went to the future. Vanitas looks a lot like that guy.

"You're from that future, aren't you?" I challenged.

And for once, Vanitas actually looked confused.

"I have no idea what you mean," Vanitas responded. "I'm just here to collect what's mine."

Vanitas swung Void Gear in a horizontal slash, but Julie just kicked it away from her. Man, she's good!

"Just give it up, and maybe I'll go easy on you!" Julie responded.

"Such spunk," Vanitas shot back. "You will definitely be a wonderful prize for my mistress."

Vanitas charged forward, intent on impaling Julie, but what she did next really surprised me: she raised her hand, and a key-shaped weapon materialized in it.

Before Vanitas could do anything, Julie gripped her weapon with both hands, bringing it down hard and slashing straight into Vanitas, forcing him back and making him drop Void Gear.

"Now are you going to take the hint?" Julie shouted.

Vanitas just stood up, recalling his weapon and acting like he hadn't even taken any damage. "Hmph. I will concede for now. The boy needs to learn proper patience anyways."

That got my blood boiling. Who the hell does this guy think he is?

"So, I shall take my leave. Boy, consider yourself on probation."

And with that, Vanitas disappeared into a portal of darkness.

"Probation for WHAT?" I shouted, not very happy at this point.

"It's okay, Nick-kun," Yuki stated, rubbing my shoulders. "He's gone now."

With that out of the way, my attention turned back to Julie. "Is that really you, Julie?"

"Yep! I came back from the future to help you guys!" Julie exclaimed.

"Um... what exactly happened?" Yuki asked. "Nick-kun and I changed that bad future, right?"

"In the future I came from, Nick and I met in college," Julie explained. "We've been best friends ever since."

Just then, I turned around, noticing that Saiki had returned, though I was a little concerned that Akatsuki hadn't returned with him.

Get your head out of the gutter, Nick. Maybe Akatsuki just went to do some research.

But what really bothered me... was the hateful look in Saiki's eyes.

Before I could catch wind of the situation, Saiki rushed straight towards Yuki, harshly grasping her neck in his right hand.

"S-S-Saiki-kun...!" Yuki gasped, trying not to let Saiki crush her windpipe.

The night elemental sneered violently. "Didn't I tell you to just die?"

Something snapped inside my brain when I heard that. Slowly getting to my feet, I raised my right hand and summoned Hanyou Hikari, only for it to instantly transform into a completely different weapon.

Julie seemed surprised. "Is that... Brightcrest?"

Not hearing what Julie said, and only seeing the boy I once thought I could trust trying to suffocate my sister, I raised Brightcrest, let out a yell, and charged straight for Saiki.

"I told you this already," Saiki sneered.

But before Saiki could do anything else, I rushed in, slamming Brightcrest into his shoulder and forcing him to release my sister.

"What the HELL is your PROBLEM?" I shouted, surprised that Yuki wasn't trying to stop me. Any other time I've gotten angry at Saiki, Yuki would instantly be between us, threatening not to speak to me anymore or something along those lines.

What the heck happened?

"She committed a grave sin," Saiki stated in a low, monotone voice. "And she must pay the price for it."

"Okay, I knew you could be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but I NEVER thought you'd turn out to be a two-faced BASTARD!" I near-screamed, gripping Brightcrest so hard my knuckles hurt. "She trusted you, Saiki-kun. She is in LOVE with you. She's obsessed with you, and you're going to turn on her just like THAT?"

"Tell her this isn't over," Saiki responded before disappearing in a dark flash.

I walked over to my sister, who seemed to be shaking violently, as if she was about to break down completely.

"I... I was right... he hates me... he wants me dead..." was all Yuki could get out. "Who... who am I supposed to trust now?"

I immediately reached down and ruffled her hair lightly, not wanting to set off a chain reaction. "Listen, Yuki-chan. Trust me on this one. You can still trust me. I would never do something like that to you. Okay? I promise I'll find him and make him pay for what he did. All right? I promise you that."

Yuki's eyes seemed to fill with tears at that very statement.

"Oh, Nick-kun!"

Yuki threw herself into my arms again, and I just returned the embrace this time, not saying anything.

"Um... what exactly just happened?" Julie wondered.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Akatsuki coming back and wondering what had just happened...

...and Saiki was with him.

The NERVE of that two-faced turncoat, showing up after what he did!

"Everything okay, you guys?" Akatsuki asked.

"It looks like a hurricane hit," Saiki responded in his normal voice. "I'm just glad you guys moved out of the library."

I cast a glance at Saiki, and suddenly, a red wave of rage crashed over my vision.

I'm just glad that Yami doesn't have control over me anymore.

I looked over at Saiki and said something so softly, only he could hear it.

"You son of a bitch."

"What?" Saiki replied, confused. He then looked down at my sister.

"Hey, is Yuki-chan all right? She looks like she's been crying!"

All of a sudden, I released Yuki and rushed straight for Saiki.

Before he could even react, I whipped my arms around and slammed Brightcrest into his legs, causing him to fall flat on his back.

"Hey, man, what the hell?" Saiki exclaimed.

Not listening to anything he said, I instantly aimed Brightcrest right for his face.

"Give me one good reason not to cut you into ribbons," I growled.

"What's your problem, Nick-kun?" Saiki shot back.

I instantly thrust Brightcrest closer, not touching his face, though dangerously close. "Don't give me any of your crap! I was RIGHT HERE. I saw everything you tried to do to my sister. Julie-chan can vouch for me!"

"Why would you think I'd do anything like that to her?" Saiki shouted. "I'm in love with her!"

"STOP LYING TO ME!" I screamed, slamming Brightcrest into Saiki's shoulder. He's lucky I'm being somewhat nice to him, because that would have hurt like hell otherwise. How I knew this when I've only been wielding Brightcrest for a couple minutes I'll never understand.

"You're just lucky I'm being nice to you," I growled. "Now _get out of my sight_. And I swear to god, if you try anything like that again, I won't hesitate to send you to hell."

Saiki was about to jump out at me, but Akatsuki held him back. "Let's leave them alone for a bit, Sai," he stated, and with that, the two Shidoosha brothers left.

With that settled, I let Brightcrest rest at my side as I walked back to Yuki, holding her close with my free hand as she cried into my shoulder.

I don't know why Saiki just did that.

But if he tries it again, I swear I'm going to destroy him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Satoshi suddenly perked up. "Oh, crap..."

"What's wrong, onii-chan?" Mana asked.

"Error just attacked okaa-san... and what's worse, Nick-kun thinks otou-san did it..." Satoshi explained.

"How do you know that, Satoshi-kun?" Sakura wondered. "I think we both deserve an explanation. Who exactly IS Error, and why are you so obsessed with destroying him?"

Satoshi just shook his head. "Error is a manipulative BASTARD. He doesn't care about anyone but himself, he has no sympathy for anyone, and what's worse, he can assume the shape of anyone he wants."

"What good would that do him?" Sakura asked.

Suddenly, Mana's eyes shot open as she realized the answer. "He's trying to drive okaa-chan and otou-chan apart!"

"Bingo, Mana-chan," Satoshi commented. "And if they don't get married, you and I are pretty much done for."

"But it sounds like you're holding something back, Satoshi-kun," Sakura noted. "Does that have something to do with the χ-blade you mentioned?"

"In due time, Sakura-chan," Satoshi responded. "We don't have to worry about the χ-blade right away. Error doesn't have everything he needs yet. That's why we have to find him and destroy him before he can forge the χ-blade."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"I don't know what I did, nii-chan."

"I know that."

"I've seen Nick-kun similar to that before... but it was under Yami's influence... It was a little different."

Akatsuki froze as Saiki seated himself on a stump, looking downcast and worried. "He... He was looking at me like I was about to tie Yuki-chan to the stake."

"He must have gotten confused, since you wouldn't harm Yuki-chan even if you had to," his brother stated softly. "Though honestly, why you even put up with Kellysi-kun is beyond me... I like Yuki-chan, and she's a nice girl... most of the time. I know she loves you but..."

"...But?"

"It seems she's scared of you now, Sai. I know that look. We've gone through our entire childhood seeing that look."

Saiki looked at him, eyes going blank in realization.

"...Do you remember?"

He only nodded sadly.

"The night elemental will be the destruction of the Mahoutsukaikai... His power is too great... He's doomed to destroy everything... T-The king should have just killed him when he had the chance... set fire, watch the black embers..." the younger twin laughed ruefully before covering his face, shaking. "Always... I went through my entire life hearing words like that... if Yuki-chan start thinks the same way as everyone else used to... Hell, I bet Nick-kun already feels that way..."

The atmosphere was almost heavy and Akatsuki took a deep breath.

"You know... if you cut off ties from them and just stayed with me... I won't let them hurt you anymore." He smiled sadly, walking closer and wrapping an arm around his twin's shoulder. "I won't ever turn you away or hurt you, Saiki-kun..."

"Nii-chan, the whole isolation plan of yours isn't going to work now. It might have when we were children, but not now when we're pretty much adults. Especially not when..."

"If it's to keep you safe, I don't mind, Saiki-kun. Really, I don't."

"And what about when you ascend the throne? Do you want me to have Ojijide-san out of a job?"

"Saiki-kun, there's room for you. There's still a place that's always been open even now."

Saiki paused, knowing exactly who his beloved brother was referring to.

"...Absolutely not. That place is _his_. Not mine."

"He's _dead_, Sai." Truth was merciless and harsh as always, and the night elemental couldn't help but flinch.

"I-It's still his... I can't... I _won't_..."

"Then what do you want me to do? Keep you in the basement? That's not cool, bro. Not cool." Akatsuki smiled a bit sadly, rubbing his shoulder and briefly running his fingers down the delicate curve of his baby brother's cheek. "Come on. Where else would you go?"

"Maybe I'll just fade away as all shadows do. It'll come to that time when everyone—including myself—will forget about me." Saiki shook his head. "I don't want to bother you..."

"You bother me by getting hurt. You bother me by refusing an offer that seems perfectly fine when it comes up... Saiki-kun... I thought you loved me most..."

"I-I do, believe me, but I just..." He seemed uncertain now and Akatsuki knew he'd hate himself later for taking advantage of his precious younger sibling but just hoped it would all turn out well in the end like it was meant to. "N-Nii-chan... Akatsuki-nii-chan, if I... took his place, then I would..."

"...be doing exactly what both of us want."

Saiki's voice was shaking. "N-No, I can't..."

"You're not always right, dear brother," the daytime elemental chastised gently, pulling him close as he shivered, murmuring in the other's overly sensitive ear, "I want you safe and with me. So just do this, okay? Kellysi-kun and Yuki-chan (with the way you are now) won't miss you but I always will."

Saiki desperately wanted to believe his brother was lying, but he knew he believed it so. His hands trembled before reaching up...

...and grabbing identical shoulders.

"D-Doremi-chan...?" he offered weakly, laughing sadly as he did and Akatsuki's smile faltered.

"That all depends and you know it."

Exactly. He had to give up everything but Akatsuki would never have to. That's how it always was.

But Doremi never looked at his brother like a monster... and none of Doremi's friends ever hated him to the point of wanting him to just disappear.

_Maybe this was how it was supposed to be?_

"O-Okay... okay, okay, okay..." Saiki buried his face in the other's shoulder, arms wrapping around him, giving up once and for all. "I'll... I'll do whatever you want, nii-chan."

Akatsuki beamed brightly though it quickly fell apart as he petted his twin's hair in a comforting gesture.

"Just you wait, Saiki-kun. Things will get better... Those two won't approach you ever again."

There was an underlying message to the statement that both the brothers were aware of.

_I'll make sure of it._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"...Satoshi-kun, your hand's not turning transparent, is it?"

"...Damn it," Satoshi cursed at the sight of his see-through hands, growling. "Already at work, it seems..."

"I'm becoming a ghost again... I can't see my legs." Mana blinked repeatedly as she looked down before shaking her head furiously. "WE NEED TO FIND OKAA-CHAN AND TELL HER THIS WHOLE THING IS A MISTAKE!"

"And I need to relay this to my dear old dad... I wonder if he's even considered the possibility of that 'Saiki' not being 'Saiki'..." Sakura folded her arms. "Am I ever like this?"

"Only sometimes," the last link answered while his sister growled.

"Why, why, WHY is it that MY STUPID UNCLE DOESN'T EVEN TRUST OTOU-CHAN? Doesn't he REALIZE how much it hurts to be suspected every single damn time? KAMI-SAMA, I can't even BELIEVE he's my uncle! If this is how he treats his friends, then I certainly don't want anything to do with him ever!"

"Mana-chan, calm down... this time our transparency doesn't seem to have everything to do with Error... It's as if otou-san himself has lost hope."

Mana looked honestly confused at that.

"But he loves okaa-chan so much... who could possibly be..."

The two siblings grew silent, looking at each other in pure horror as they quickly pieced it together.

"...The king?" Sakura wondered weakly, her smile fading. "Hey, you two, come on... I know they're twins and everything but I highly doubt that Akatsuki-kun could..."

"Otou-san told us stories... how the two of them isolated themselves from the longest time from anyone that Akatsuki saw as a threat to otou-san." Satoshi looked almost sick for a moment before continuing.

"Akatsuki has enough power over otou-san in this time... to completely keep him from ever dream of making up with okaa-san again if he believed it would cause him harm."

"And Uncle Nick nearly killed otou-chan, blaming him for something that Uncle Akatsuki knows he wouldn't ever do... We're both protective, aren't we? I-I'd keep him away from Nick-kun at all costs... but Uncle Akatsuki..." Mana was shaking how in fear. "O-Oh man..."

She took a deep breath.

"He wouldn't hesitate to cut off all ties with okaa-chan i-if that's what it took..."

Sakura blinked, realization dawning.

"Oh... crap..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

We were already in some unusual forest by the time Julie spoke up again.

"Hey, hey, what was all that about?"

"I think you saw everything, Julie-chan," Nick responded rather bitterly, still keeping me flush against his side. "That bastard..."

"...Nick, don't you think you were a little too rash back there?" When I perked up to stare at her, I saw that her arms were crossed in slight disappointment and my brother sputtered.

"Julie-chan, he just tried to kill my sister."

_He wanted to kill me, yes... but..._

"You know, I just think it's a little strange... He tries to kill Yuki-chan, runs off, and then returns with his brother who wasn't present earlier. Oh come on, no one's that stupid. I wouldn't do that, Yuki-chan wouldn't do that, _you_ wouldn't do that... Why would someone who's perfectly practical and an absolute prodigy do something like that?"

_Saiki-kun's brilliant... there is no doubting in that._

"Maybe he didn't want to seem too suspicious to Akatsuki-kun..." Nick muttered as I blinked and reached for my pocket. "Saiki-kun's always looking out for his brother's approval after all and..."

_Yes, he is... I know that..._

"He looked pretty honestly confused and hurt when you attacked him," Julie responded, tilting her head to the side with a slight pout. "I almost felt sorry for him."

I shakily pulled out the picture.

"Julie-chan, I know what I saw."

_Do we really?_

"Yeah, someone who..." she paused, and then sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Oh, forget it."

_Please, go on..._

Nick raised an eyebrow as I stared at the image, looking over it over and over again before flipping it to read the writing.

"_Keep this innocence in mind always..._" I repeated out loud, earning my brother to retract his arm and stare at me in confusion just as I stuffed in my pocket. "N-Nick-kun... I-I... I think I made a mistake..."

With that I burst into tears, back in his arms again as I sobbed. "S-Saiki-kun... if he didn't..."

_If he didn't hate me then... he for sure hates me now!_

"Yuki-chan, don't worry... I already said that he won't touch you again... ever..." But he sounded a little unsure, shaking his head back and forth. "No worries, no worries..."

"Oh hey, Nick-kun, what's up?"

We both flinched at the all too familiar voice and we all looked confused, blinking.

Moriko, Akemi, and Kurumi were all standing there, smiling.

"Y-You two look like you're both under a lot of stress..." Akemi murmured as she walked up first, blushing lightly and still appearing fairly worried. "What's wrong?"

"More importantly, who do you want us to kill?" Moriko asked with a grin. "Anyone in particular?"

"Moriko-chan, non. Don't ask that." Kurumi shook her head daintily. "It won't do any good..."

"Oh, but Kurumi-chan."

"Non is still a 'no' no matter how you look at it."

Moriko sighed as Akemi giggled before turning back to us with wide, expectant sapphire orbs. "S-So...?"

He groaned and I remained silent.

"It's a long story..."

It was then that Takahashi noticed Julie, who waved sweetly with a bright smile on her face.

"Hi, you must be..."

"Who the _hell_ is that?" Moriko asked dully as the rest of us stared at her in shock before Akemi cried out,

"MORIKO-CHAN, NOT SO RUDE!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Okay, if everyone could calm down and let me explain," I stated, addressing that one directly to Moriko. It's fun teasing her.

"Mori-chan, this is Julie Makimoto," I explained, gesturing to Julie. "She's from the future that Yuki-chan and I went to last year."

"Nice to meet you all!" Julie giggled.

"And what, might I ask, is up with our dear twilight princess?" Kurumi asked, noticing my sister's expression.

"Yeah, she looks like Saiki-kun tried to kill her or something!" Moriko exclaimed.

Oh, the irony.

I figured I may as well tell them. They're not going to like this, though.

"Saiki-kun _did_ try to kill her," I stated. Everyone looked shocked, but I can't say that I blame them.

"WHAT?" Moriko exclaimed.

"I think you'd better start from the beginning, Nick-kun," Kurumi noted.

"Yuki-chan and I have been having some very strange and freaky nightmares for the past couple weeks now," I started. All eyes were on me. "In mine, I'd apparently killed both Yuki-chan and Momoko, and it turned out my father was behind it. He'd said something along the lines of 'your makers are still pulling the strings'. In Yuki-chan's dream, she'd apparently killed me, but then Saiki-kun came by and said she'd have to die to atone for it. So we both came to the Majokai in hopes that Akatsuki-kun could figure out what was going on. We got ambushed by some freak named Vanitas, but we took care of him easily. Akatsuki-kun went into our dreams, and we found out that the freak who's been giving us these nightmares is a fallen goddess, Cardia Stigma. I don't know why she's doing this, but that's what we're trying to find out. After Julie-chan arrived and helped us fend off Vanitas again, Saiki-kun arrived and tried to kill her, saying exactly what he'd said in Yuki-chan's dream. I kinda went a bit crazy, but I didn't hurt him too bad. They left, you guys arrived, and here we are."

I waited a bit so it could all sink in.

"This is probably the most confusing adventure we've ever been on," Kurumi stated quite matter-of-factly. "And we've been on a lot of crazy adventures."

"Saiki-kun's not like that..." Akemi wondered, her eyes misty with tears. "What could have caused him to change like this?"

"Something about this just doesn't add up," Moriko continued, her hand on her chin.

"All I know is this," I responded, clenching my fists. "If that bastard tries that again, I'm going to personally destroy him. He's got no right to attack my sister like that."

Just then, a new voice cut in.

"Otou-san wasn't the one who attacked okaa-san."

I turned around after hearing that voice, noticing three very familiar teenagers approaching us. But what are they doing here?

Yuki looked up, her sad expression softened somewhat by our new arrivals. "Satoshi-kun? Mana-chan? Is that you?"

"In the flesh, okaa-chan!" Mana giggled.

"You haven't forgotten me, have you, otou-san?" Sakura giggled.

Who does she think she's trying to kid? "Sakura-chan, how could I forget that we were the ones who had to save you from a falling space colony not even four months ago?" I teased.

Sakura laughed a bit at that.

"So, what's with the impromptu reunion?" Moriko wondered.

Suddenly, Yuki seemed to notice something odd about her future son.

"Satoshi-kun, why is your hand all transparent?" Yuki wondered.

Before Satoshi could answer that, Sakura cut in. "That's actually the reason we're here."

But before Sakura could explain why that was, I heard footsteps behind us. I spun around, and Saiki was standing there, with the same hateful expression I'd seen on him earlier.

Oh, this little bastard just won't take the hint, will he?

Slowly stepping to my feet, I materialized Brightcrest and looked over at the night elemental, as if daring him to come any closer.

"What did I tell you, you little jerk?" I growled, ready to do what I had to do.

Saiki just smiled and started walking forward.

I brandished Brightcrest, making my point very clear. "Don't even think about it. You take one more step and you're dead."

Mana gasped out loud at that. "Jii-chan, don't! If you kill him, Satoshi-kun and I won't exist anymore!"

I simply stood my ground. "Mana-chan, do you know what this little bastard did to my sister?"

I turned back to Saiki. "This son of a bitch tried to kill my sister, so don't think anything you can do will change my mind, Mana-chan."

Yuki started shivering again.

I... what do I do? He wants... he wants me dead, doesn't he?

But when he took a step forward, and his expression shifted to one of malicious glee, that was about all I could stand.

Mana's hand immediately fastened around mine, but I pushed her aside and charged for the night elemental, ready to put him in his place.

So you can easily imagine my surprise when Saiki transformed. His actual appearance didn't change much, but his hair became a bright silver and his coal eyes changed to a sharp yellow.

"What in the...?"

I barely had the time to get Brightcrest up to block the attack that was sent my way.

Before I could ask what had just happened, the kids all rushed up in front of me, shifting into fighting stances.

"End of the line, Error!" Mana exclaimed.

Error, as Mana had just called him, looked up and smiled. "Well, well. I never thought you three would dare follow me so far back in time."

"We know what you're after, Error," Mana growled. "You're trying to drive my mother and father apart so Satoshi-kun and I don't exist anymore!"

"Well, of course," Error responded with that sneering grin that drove me crazy. "You are nuisances that must be exterminated."

"And I know why you're really here in this time period, Error," Satoshi challenged. "Don't bother denying it."

Error just continued to smirk. "And here I thought you didn't believe in the χ-blade."

"Your little tricks aren't going to work on us!" Mana shot back.

"But it's so easy. A heart of pure darkness must upset a balanced heart in order to create the χ-blade," Error explained. "And as events are unfolding in this time, it won't be long before that happens."

"Not as long as we're here, jerk!" Sakura shouted.

"So, this is another meeting for another time," Error stated, and in a flash, he disappeared.

Okay, now you can officially color me REALLY confused.

"Um, could someone explain what's going on here?" I asked. "Just who the heck WAS that?"

Satoshi sighed. "Pay attention, Kellysi-kun. I don't think you're going to like this."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

It took only a minute for everything to truly sink in.

"The Saiki-kun that attacked me earlier... that was whoever that guy was, wasn't he?" I asked, walking up shakily.

Satoshi and Mana both nodded.

Nick looked utterly flabbergasted and then he started cursing. "As if Saiki-kun didn't hate me enough..."

"I knew it," Julie sighed while Kurumi looked honestly relieved.

"Ha-ha... I knew Saiki-kun would never do that... T-That would just ruin the nice guy image I had of him... Not cool."

"It looks like an apology will have to be in order soon, huh, Nick-kun?" Akemi asked, smiling weakly. "Hopefully Saiki-kun will accept it..."

"At this point, unfortunately... otou-san won't really be the one you need 'acceptance' from..." Satoshi frowned as he lowered his sleeve just a bit, seeing his wrist was fading along with his hand. "But first, we need to explain."

Nick looked as sick as I felt.

_Saiki-kun didn't do anything wrong... It was all... that guy's doing..._

"That guy was a villain we've been chasing from our time... Error's his name and shapeshifting is his game." Mana grinned warily. "H-Heh, heh... I'm betting the entire reason he came here was to prevent okaa-chan and otou-chan from getting married so that we wouldn't come to be."

That was about it.

I walked to a tree.

"Yuki-chan?" Nick wondered, confused.

Then I started banging my head against it.

"I."

_Crunch._

"AM."

_Crack._

"AN."

_Bang._

"_IDIOT_."

I slid down, scraping my forehead against the tree as I laughed, the sound harsh. "H-Hey, Nick-kun? Guess what~?"

"...Yuki-chan..."

I smiled at him widely, all too aware of the blood trickling down the side of my face. "I-I screwed everything up between Saiki-kun and me."

"Not true," Mana stated, earning us all to stare at her before she pointed at my brother, grimacing. "Uncle here didn't exactly help matters either."

"...What kind of a girlfriend am I?" I wondered, backing up against the tree until the bark dug painfully into my back. "I-If I just talked to Saiki-kun... If I believed in him... He wouldn't have been hurt so much... Oh kami-sama... I am just the worst."

Nick looked like he wanted to hold me but I held my hand up, groaning.

"No, hold up. I deserve this. Let me go on..."

And before I knew it, I was crying.

"Y-You just can't go any lower than I did... A-And... I'm... Oh kami-sama, Akatsuki-kun told me to be _careful_ with him... Well, he sure as hell isn't letting me see Saiki-kun anymore after that little fiasco, huh Nick-kun? It's over. Saiki-kun and I are officially _over_."

Finally, the weight of all came crashing down, and I curled up into a ball.

"W-We're over..."

That meant no more late night calls where I'd have him read me a story of some sort until Nick began to stir.

"Saiki-kun isn't going to even _look_ at me anymore..."

So he wasn't going to smile at me softly anymore... with his coal eyes glimmering in adoration and love... It wasn't like the gaze he gave Akatsuki, but it still made me feel every bit as loved and cherished.

"...much less even _talk_ to me..."

This time, he wasn't going to tell me everything would be alright. He wasn't going to hold me close like Nick, whispering soft condolences into my hair as he pressed his lips to my temple...

"I don't even think he's going to even come _near_ me anymore..."

And how happy I used to be whenever I saw him... I wouldn't be able to hold his hand, grip his arm, or anything...

"I screwed up."

...so this was now everything ended, too. Me having a faux nightmare, creating an irrational fear that _I should have talked about to him dammit_, and then some nutjob doing the honors of driving him away once and for all by playing on nii-chan as well...

And that was what 'Error' wanted.

"...I'm going to kill that bastard..." Sorrow and sadness and misery morphed into anger and fury in a minute. "How dare he take on Saiki-kun's form...? How dare he try to do this to us? HOW DARE THAT BASTARD SUCCEED?"

"Okaa-san?" Satoshi wondered as he approached me and I yanked myself away from him, hissing once I remembered just how much he and Saiki looked alike. "H-Hey, okaa-san..."

He pretty much represented what I would never have now, thanks to Error.

"...Oh, Satoshi-kun..." I sighed, pulling him in close as he yelped, shaking in my embrace. Greedily, I buried my face in his shoulder, and for a minute, it really did feel like it was Saiki and not his son...

Then I picked up traces of cinnamon and powder, not old spices.

"I am so screwed up," I laughed sadly, pushing him away, staring into wide chocolate eyes that were mine and not coal. "Satoshi-kun, I realized how little I actually care about why Error's here... Just tell where he is so I can kill him... please?"

"Uh..." He looked unsure of what to do and nodded hesitantly. "O-Okaa-san, I... uh... Listen, about otou-san..."

"I'm sorry. It looks like we won't have you after all, Satoshi-kun..."

Satoshi looked stricken and horrified.

"Okaa-chan, you idiot! You can't give up!" Mana exclaimed stubbornly as she rushed up, grabbing my shoulders. "I swear... You need to make up with otou-chan above all else! We can't let Error win..."

"Look Mana-chan, it's too late for that," I responded softly and distantly as I looked away. "I'm sorry... I mean, you would have been a wonderful daughter..."

_SMACK!_

Her hand was shaking, my hand shot to my aching, _stinging_ cheek.

"Yuki-chan... why the hell are you so selfish? Who are you? Because you are _not_ my mother."

My eyes widened.

"I-I mean, yeah... You screw up worse than most people, and yeah, things always get worse because you never confide in others...! B-But, you're going on and on about how much you hurt otou-chan... Don't you think about how he's _suffering_?" she cried out, tears forming in her navy blue eyes. "He loved you... He loved you and you don't trust him! Nick-kun doesn't trust him... Neither of you trust him but he trusts you two... And he's hurt for it! THAT ISN'T FAIR!"

Tears were welling up in my eyes.

"I-If you loved him really... you would go out of your way for him... if you loved him, you'd do anything to make sure he knew it, right? Little things are fine and good, but honestly, Yuki-chan... What are you going to do now that you've really made a mistake?"

I bit down on my lip as Mana smiled so heartbrokenly that it made me feel even worse.

"A-Are you just going to sit around and mourn your own loss... or are you going to make up with him and let him know the truth... and wait until how he feels? I'm sure otou-chan deserves that much at least, right...?"

"...Y-You're right... You're right... Oh, Mana-chan!" I threw myself into her shoulder, sobbing. "Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun, I'M SO SORRY!"

"...If only it'll be that easy..." I heard Sakura muse as I perked up with misty eyes, seeing her turn towards Nick. "Otou-san, you're going to have to help her... but... as the overprotective big brother, you're going to have to talk to Saiki-kun's overprotective sibling..."

"Akatsuki-kun? He's only irrational if Doremi-chan or Saiki-kun's involved and..." He pressed his hand to his forehead, groaning. "Yeah, he's much more difficult than any of the other creeps we've faced..."

"Ah, the power of family and love..." Moriko sighed. "Nick-kun, there's still the issue of Error..."

"And Stigma and Vanitas and the world..." Akemi continued, blushing quite a bit. "In the meantime... we have to find Akatsuki-kun and Saiki-kun..."

"Mon dieu, this sounds like the best movie ever. I'm going to help the best I can for our dear mademoiselle," Kurumi giggled. "Let's do it, oui?"

"I wanna help too!" Julie exclaimed cheerily. "And then we'll save the world... before dinnertime! Because... I'm a little hungry..."

"A-Alright, so it's agreed... We need to find those two, stop Stigma, stop Error... and have dinner." I stood up, wiping my eyes dry as Nick smiled weakly at me while Mana kept my hand and Satoshi stood by my side. "S-So, where is Saiki-kun anyway...?"

"Wherever Akatsuki-kun is... so Mahoutsukaikai castle, perhaps?" Moriko asked while Sayoko shook her head.

"No, that would be too obvious... Pfft. Akatsuki-kun's not obvious. Then again, I don't know him very well..."

"...but Doremi-chan does." Akemi murmured, eyes widening oh so slightly. "Doremi-chan probably knows where Akatsuki-kun would head off to... I mean, it's likely..."

"Not really," I quipped before I could get my hopes up. "Doremi-chan and I are best friends. If I were Akatsuki-kun, I would take Saiki-kun somewhere where neither I nor Nick-kun would never even think of going to... without telling anyone."

"And then there's taking Saiki-kun's keen instincts into matters at hand... If he knows we're close, then Akatsuki-kun will know... Oh great..." Nick groaned, gripping his hair. "This will be pretty difficult..."

I sighed. "If anything, I just hope Saiki-kun's safe right now..."

"You know, I can tell you guys really have your jobs out for you," Julie laughed. "I could get used to this."

"Actually..." Nick stated. "I know where we can go first."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Nii-chan, there are still some issues here and there... Stigma, remember?"

Akatsuki groaned, rummaging through the drawers. "Yes, yes, I know... But those two can handle themselves... You don't have to worry about that. Now where is his amulet...?"

"Huh?" Saiki looked confused. "Wait... Koji-san... His..."

"He wasn't wearing it that day so it must be around here somewhere..." his brother went on, opening more and more cabinets. "It has to be..."

"We can't be in here, can we?" The night elemental looked horrified, looking around in fear. "This is his... his..."

"Found it. Alright, Saiki-kun, now just stay still." Akatsuki held up the dark, star-encrusted amulet, walking over and slipping it around his neck. "This is how I'll keep a close eye on you. Just in case."

Taking it in his palm, the older prince waved his hand over it, earning it to glow a light shade of red violet. "There... That should be it." He tucked the amulet inside, earning his brother to shudder a bit. "Alright. Good boy..."

"What am I, a pet?" Saiki groaned, squirming a bit. "Isn't this unnecessary?"

"I'm taking precautions."

"...Alright."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"...Nick?"

Momoko opened the door, emerald eyes wide. "What's wrong?"

"Hey Momoko..." My brother smiled uneasily and I quickly spoke up.

"W-We... We need your help..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Wow," Momoko responded after we'd finished telling her about everything that had happened. "This definitely sounds like one hell of a movie."

"So despite what Cardia Stigma plans to do, she's not our top priority right now," I observed. "Whatever she's planning, she needs a lot of time to do it. Error is our main concern. If we don't stop him, things are going to get royally screwed up."

"And you've got that Vanitas person to worry about," Momoko noted.

"Oh, god, I forgot about him..."

"You guys definitely have your work cut out for you," Momoko proclaimed. "I'm not sure what I'll be able to do that'll help, but I can promise you two I'll try my best."

"That's all we could really ask for, Momo-chan," Yuki stated.

"Problem is, how are we going to find those two and apologize if Akatsuki-kun's watching like a hawk?" Momoko asked.

"To be honest, I have no idea," I responded. "I'll probably think of something as we go along."

Momoko giggled. What's so funny?

"That's just like you, Nick."

Before I could retort to that, I felt Yuki tugging on my arm.

"Nick-kun? Can I tell you something? Something private?"

I looked over at my girlfriend, and she just nodded.

"I'll go make some chicken sandwiches for your little trip. Extra crispy, right?"

We both nodded. Momoko knows we love crispy chicken.

When Momoko was out of earshot, Yuki looked up at me as we sat down on the couch.

"Nick-kun, you know I'm still in love with Saiki-kun, right?" Yuki asked me. "Despite the fact that it looks like we're over, despite everything that's happened... I still love him, Nick-kun."

That much was obvious. But what was she getting at?

"But... if I know Akatsuki-kun, he's going to try keeping Saiki-kun away from us. That means I might never see him again. But we have to try, Nick-kun. For my sake. For yours, for everyone's sake."

Okay...

"Which brings me to what I actually wanted to say, Nick-kun," Yuki continued, reaching over to hug me. "Even though I still love Saiki-kun with all my heart, the way things are now... I need _you_, Nick-kun. You've always been my confidante when Saiki-kun couldn't. You've always comforted me whenever otou-san used to assault us. Before I met Saiki-kun, you were always the one who would just hold me, give me a big gooshy hug, and tell me that you'd always be there for me. That you love me."

I couldn't help but blush as Yuki said her piece. It was true, right? I've always been her confidante no matter what happened in life.

"Nick-kun, I need someone to be there for me. Since Saiki-kun and I can't, that's why I need you. Until we get this settled, until we can put things right... you're the only one I can depend on."

Yuki buried her head in my shoulder, a few tears falling.

"Can I depend on you, Nick-kun?"

Like she needed an answer.

"Of course," I stated without hesitation, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. I slid my arms around her so I could hug her back. "I already said I wouldn't ever do what Error did to you. I promised you I'd always protect you no matter what it took or what I had to do. And there's no way in hell that I'm going back on that promise."

Yuki smiled, tears still falling from her eyes, but as long as I could make my sister feel safe and secure, I didn't care how soaked my shirt got.

"I love you, Nick-kun."

"I love you, too, Yuki-chan."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It wasn't too long before we all set off through the Mahoutsukaikai again, determined to find Saiki and set everything right before it was too late.

To be brutally honest, I feel like an idiot for not realizing that Error was masquerading as Saiki. I'm not the most patient kid in the world, and though I've been trying to be more patient ever since Yuki and I struck off on our own, it hasn't been easy, especially with all the creeps we have to deal with on a regular basis.

"You two okay?" Julie asked us.

"We will be," I answered. "Yuki-chan and I just had a little heart-to-heart."

Julie nodded, smiling brightly.

"So, whose head are we smashing into the floor first?" Moriko casually quipped, earning a sweatdrop from both Akemi and Kurumi.

"Error's our top priority right now," I answered.

"If I find that son of a bitch, I'm going to make him pay DEARLY," Yuki growled.

"Did everyone forget about me?"

Before I could pinpoint that, I turned around just in time to see Yuki get knocked down by a slash from Void Gear.

I spun around and noticed Vanitas standing there, balancing on Void Gear.

"You just don't give up, do you?" Mana growled.

"I told you, I am merely here to collect what's mine," Vanitas quipped before raising Void Gear into a fighting stance.

At almost blinding speeds, faster than I could react, Vanitas zipped forward and slashed at Yuki's shoulder.

When I saw the little lines of blood running down Yuki's arm, that was about it for me and my patience.

"You're going to regret that, you son of a bitch!" I shouted, rushing forward to meet blades with Vanitas.

"You're just wasting your energy," Vanitas sneered.

But I pushed Brightcrest against Void Gear enough for the eviler weapon to show cracks in it.

"What?"

With one mighty strike, I broke through Void Gear and slashed right through Vanitas.

Surprisingly, he didn't die because of that.

Even weirder, he began to glow with a dark aura.

"You've done it, Nick," Vanitas quipped. "I knew you'd be the one to do it."

"Stop talking nonsense!" I shouted, my patience already having run dry.

Vanitas stood up, his damage obvious, though he acted like he wasn't hurt in the slightest. He reached for his helmet and undid the snaps so he could take it off.

What I saw next almost put me into shock.

His face looked almost exactly like mine! The only differences were that his hair was a little spikier and pure black, and he had the same malicious yellow eyes that Error had.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Moriko exclaimed.

"He... he looks like Nick-kun?" Akemi gasped.

"This is really freaking weird!" Kurumi shouted.

"Could someone please explain this? I'm officially lost," Sakura stated.

"It's quite simple, really," Vanitas answered, taking slow steps towards me. "I am the embodiment of your darkness, Nick, given shape by my mistress Cardia Stigma. My job is to upset your balanced elements, then merge with you so I can create the χ-blade for Error. He needs it way more than I do."

Vanitas raised his hand, and chanted something that froze me in my spot. I couldn't do much but struggle against the binding enchantment as Vanitas walked closer.

When he touched me, everything went white and I couldn't see anymore.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(normal P.O.V.)

When the light cleared, Vanitas had disappeared and Nick was left standing there.

"Nick-kun?" Yuki asked tentatively.

Nick looked up and smiled brightly. That was all the convincing Yuki needed.

But as she rushed up to hug her brother, everyone else noticed that something very strange had appeared in Nick's right hand, unknown to Yuki. It was a very large weapon. It appeared to be made of two large key-shaped swords crossed in an X-style. Between the blades of both keys was an ornate gold filgree that appeared to be gleaming brightly. At the very edge of the two crossed keys, a long blade extended, said blade shining a bright silver. Nick was holding the weapon by closing his hand around the two connected edges of the key parts to this strange weapon.

"Yuki-chan, GET AWAY!" Satoshi exclaimed. "That's not Nick-kun!"

Yuki looked up at Nick, and was surprised to see that his eyes were now the same malicious yellow of Vanitas and not the caring chocolate brown she shared with him.

"**Correct,"** Nick stated, his voice and Vanitas' voice speaking together. **"I am not Nick. His heart has become a part of mine now."**

Nick held the large weapon above his head as if to strike Yuki, but the black witch jumped away just in time to avoid the strike.

"What happened?" Yuki exclaimed.

"**Simple, twilight princess,"** Nick explained. **"I merged with your precious little brother and his unbalanced heart. And now I wield the χ-blade. But, to be honest, I don't really need it all that much. Once I take care of you brats, Error will take the χ-blade and he can go have his fun."**

"This is the only time I'm going to warn you, Vanitas," Yuki growled, summoning Tobiume. "Get out of my brother's body or ELSE! He's all I have left!"

"**If you insist on delaying the inevitable, that can be arranged," **Nick stated, readying the χ-blade.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(back to Nick's P.O.V.)

Light fluttered in and out of my vision a few times, and when I had regained my balance, I noticed I had been taken to a strange place.

I almost didn't recognize it at first, but when I saw the movie film-like things swirling around, I instantly knew where I was.

I was inside my own heart.

Before I had a chance to wonder why I was inside my own heart, I looked up and saw the unmasked Vanitas floating down from above, holding what appeared to be the χ-blade in his right hand.

"Our union was not finished," Vanitas stated. "The χ-blade shouldn't stay broken like this."

I got a good look at the χ-blade, and it definitely seemed incomplete. Part of the filgree was missing, and there were chips in the sword part of it.

"Join with me now, and we can complete the χ-blade!" Vanitas proclaimed, aiming the χ-blade straight for me.

Keeping my composure, I simply shook my head, summoning Brightcrest into my right hand. "I've got a better idea. How 'bout I destroy you both?"

Vanitas just laughed like he was insane. "The χ-blade is made of your heart, too, idiot. If you destroy it, your heart will vanish forever."

"Not likely, Vanitas," I stated, smirking. "I know of someone who can bring me back to the light, even if I lose my heart."

"Your little sister?" Vanitas mocked. "What good will that do?"

"It's not something you'd understand," I stated. "You become stronger when you have someone you wish to protect."

I readied Brightcrest, ready to get rid of this madman once and for all. "Yuki-chan is my power, and I'm hers!"

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

To be honest, I was already bored with situations like this where I had to fight my brother.

Then again, that could just mean that I didn't like it happening.

Understandable, right?

But still... honestly... I had pretty much had a screwed up day that really should have landed me in an office with some psychiatrist and a notebook.

Seriously.

My life was already messed up with the nightmare that somehow caused me to lose what little logic I had.

Saiki, the boyfriend and boy I loved and obsessed over was suddenly the victim of my vicious mood swings.

I hurt him.

I hurt Nick trying to hurt him.

Akatsuki didn't like me for that and to be honest, I didn't like me for that either.

And then we mix in usual nutjobs that I was used to.

Of course, I was still illogically scared to death of someone that I adored more than anything else.

And then he gets framed and all of a sudden, Nick is against him as well.

Saiki, really, had it too rough... it made me think that maybe I shouldn't have chased him down and talked him into dating me all those years ago.

I should have just left him alone.

In all honesty, I deserved to never see him again. Akatsuki deserved to punish me for that.

No wait, that's being too selfish. The only reason why the elder prince refuses to let me near his baby brother now is for Saiki's sake, not mine.

I'm happy that at least, someone's doing him some justice. But it doesn't make it any less sucky.

Finally, this guy takes over my brother's body with the cliché desire of power. And he calls this 'inevitable'.

Give me a break... it's more like a 'regular' occurrence. I mean, Yami was a surprise at first... but I got over that.

This just irked me. I had just about enough.

I mean, there was my broken heart, baddies relenting, and now my brother's possessed. This was old.

"Things that are inevitable are things going wrong," I finally stated with a growl, teeth grinding as my grip tightened on Tobiume. "How about you just find a new hobby other than being evil and leave me alone already?"

With that, the Nick that wasn't Nick smirked and charged, χ-blade clanging with Tobiume, sparks flying and when his smirk widened, I was thrown back by the power.

"You really ought to fight more fairly than that," Mana noted as she appeared to my side and held out her hand for me. "Mother, may I?"

I blinked once and smiled quickly, nodding. "Alright."

"_With the delicate bonds of family..."_ Mana chanted.

"_Exploiting the gentle fragility of love..."_ I continued, tightening my hand around we.

"_Such acts that defile such beautiful things will never be forgiven and for that, we shall act!"_ both we exclaimed in unison, letting our arms rest around each other while drawing our free hands back.

"_Double Ojamajo Faultless Penalty!"_

My not-brother remained in place as our attack summed up the twilight mixture barrage that I wasn't all too familiar with slammed into him.

To our surprise, he remained standing, smile wide.

"THE HELL? NOW THAT JUST AIN'T COOL!"

"Yuki-chan, he has a shield going on with Nick-kun's life magic..." Kurumi stated as she hurried to mine and Mana's side as well. "We won't be able to defeat him with that up... we need a time-breaking spell that'll shatter it."

"Time-breaking...?" Mana repeated in confusion. "Yuki-chan, do you know a spell like that?"

_Did I?_

Kurumi smirked and nodded, and my eyes widened as I understood quickly.

_Yeah, we did._

"Alright, Kurumi-chan," I laughed, taking her hand. "Let's go!"

She nodded, taking her hand away from mine as we pressed our backs to one another.

"Mugen! _Infinite__!_" Kurumi exclaimed, forming her usual silver-colored energy, which glowed even more radiantly than usual.

"Mugen! _Fantasy!_" I chanted, clapping to form my traditional twilight energy. My grin was slowly widening more and more.

_Let's see him take this... _

Our energies joined as they connected hands, shimmering with a brilliant silvery white light.

"_With enough love to make makkura to sakugan, we'll balance out our ill-fated future with purity from our past innocence!"_

We tossed out our hands as we pulled each other close.

"_Double Ojamajo Time Swift!"_

I could almost see the combined energy sparking and ramming into my possessed sibling, seeing him for once gasp at the contact as the electrical blue energy shot up, painting the image of a clock before shooting back down like grenades, shattering his shield just like that.

"A-Amazing...!" Satoshi gasped as we giggled and did a high-five.

It had been a while, but we had both gotten stronger.

So our attack was executed more beautifully than I remember.

"Well, go get him!" Sayoko cheered as she pushed me forward and I perked up, seeing him slump a bit, wincing as he sparked as if electrocuted.

I wasn't going to be taking any more chances now... that much I was absolutely positive up.

I placed Tobiume to the side, before gathering up my energy all over again...

_Alright... now for some sort of miracle since I know he won't stand still if I'm here trying to beat him..._

"_Sutaraito Kiseki!"_ I exclaimed, as I pulled up the star-shaped twilight energy before throwing my hands forward and slamming him with it, trapping him just as I grabbed Tobiume once again.

_Okay, time to make this count..._

"Now GET OUT!" I exclaimed as I rushed up to him and leapt, smashing my weapon down while he was constricted by my spell, seeing his eyes widen.

"**Impossible..." **he muttered as he fell forward, shaking. It looked like the Starlight Miracle was still in effect.

Alright... now it was time to get Nick back.

I threw my hand up, shouting out,

"_Style Change! Purifying Style!"_

I already held the soothing fabric of the white dress wrapping around my body as magical forces lovingly pulled my hair into a ponytail with a snow white ribbon as silver clasps clamped around my wrist.

I blew a kiss, winking. "Now here's where purity, even the faux ones like mine, actually count."

I made no sense, but who cared? Pure didn't suit me... I wanted to be an action girl for now.

Being a distressed damsel was just too tiring, you know.

"_Mystic Arte! Radiant Dawn!" I_ exclaimed, tossing my palms in direction as I shot out white energy that swallowed him up, earning him to cry out before laughing.

"**Do you really think it's over?"**

Of course not. It was way too easy.

But it was over for now no matter what he thought... this was something I could be sure about.

His eyes shut as the light expanded and exploded in a series of a little too many sparkles. He was unconscious now, and I was sure of that.

"Careful, he could still be possessed," Sakura quickly stated as she rushed up. "But... You took pretty quick work of him, huh aunt?"

"...Yeah..." I sighed as my hair fell down from its vanishing ribbon, the white dress disappearing into my usual clothes. The χ-blade disappeared, but I knew that it wasn't the end just yet.

"I didn't even get to do much of anything," Moriko grumbled while Akemi simply laughed.

"Oh, Moriko-chan, that's a good thing..."

Mana giggled. "My, my..."

I couldn't share their relief and happiness for the moment...

Because I still needed to think.

Vanitas called my brother's heart unbalanced. That meant something, didn't it?

_...I wasn't sure..._

It was just too confusing.

I touched the back of his neck, sighing, and then a hand fell on my shoulder.

When I looked up, Momoko was beaming.

"You've gotten quite powerful, Yuki-chan."

I blinked once before smiling in return.

"Thank you, Momo-chan."

Her smile brightened as she laughed, squatting down beside me as she smiled lovingly down at my brother.

"At least he has a sister like you, right?"

She adored me, and even if Nick ever feared her, I knew there would never be anything wrong with Momo-chan.

Because I knew that Momoko was my friend. And I knew that she would never be forced through the things Saiki always had to suffer on my account.

I guess that the reason why I wasn't allowed to have nice things was because I destroyed them whenever I had them.

_Saiki-kun, can you hear me?_

_...If you can, I don't want you to ever forgive me, okay? I'm sorry, yes... but I don't want you to forgive me. I just want you to know._

_You don't even have to understand... I just want you to know. Okay? That's not too much, is it?_

_You're too good for me... and I'm not good for you... I don't want you to be the martyr when really, it does no good for any of us..._

_I love you... Even if I don't show it... I really do love you..._

_Thank you... for being around when you were... thank you, period, for just being born. If I didn't believe in miracles then, I certainly do now._

_I'm so sorry for wronging you... I... really like you._

_It's okay, break away from the past and from me... You deserve it._

_You deserve every bit of happiness, even when the world doesn't._

"...Yuki-chan...?" Asuka was concerned now, taking my shoulders. "Yuki-chan, are you alright."

And just like that, I fell into the dirt, eyes shutting and mind going completely and utterly blank.

"YUKI-CHAN!"

_I'm so, so sorry._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Once again, I met blades with Vanitas, again ending up in a stalemate.

"It's pointless, my friend," Vanitas sneered, spinning the χ-blade in his hands effortlessly, as if that gargantuan weapon didn't weigh anything to him. "I will not be defeated by you. I am you, after all."

"You know, Vanitas, you may be me, but you don't know a damn thing about me!" I shot back, gripping Brightcrest tightly.

"Maybe I should show you what happens when you interfere," Vanitas continued. Okay, so now he's back to talking nonsense again...

Suddenly, Vanitas jumped into the air, the χ-blade glowing with an evil-looking light.

"Playtime's over," Vanitas proclaimed, landing on the platform and slamming the χ-blade into it, shattering it completely and filling the entire area with white light.

When I could see again, I was floating on nothing as shards of the shattered platform floated around, giving the area a bit of a psychedelic look.

Vanitas was still there, χ-blade in hand and as malicious as ever.

"Are you about ready to give up?" Vanitas stated. "I'll make it easier on you if you just give it up now."

"Fat chance, Vanitas," I challenged. "I'm not going down without a fight."

"So be it," Vanitas stated, glowing a dark black. "You had your chance!"

With that, Vanitas unleashed a massive dark blue energy beam that struck me before I had a chance to react.

But instead of being ripped apart as I thought I would, my vision suddenly went white.

_"Nick-kun?"_

I perked up. That was my sister's voice!

_"No matter where you are, I'm always thinking of you. So please... be safe."_

That got me into action. No way am I losing to this jerkoff!

With a mighty battle cry, I threw my arms out and dispelled the blast that Vanitas had assumed would destroy me.

"What?" Vanitas exclaimed, actually freaked out for the first time since I'd met him. The shattered platform that represented my heart pieced itself back together.

"How quickly you forget, Vanitas," I taunted, readying Brightcrest. "I told you that as long as Yuki-chan is looking out for me, there's nothing I can't do!"

Vanitas groaned. "Such foolishness! Didn't I warn you that if you destroy me and the χ-blade, your heart will vanish for good?"

"Yeah, and I don't care," I shot back. "And you wanna know something I decided?"

Vanitas just stood there, his hand tense on the χ-blade.

"I've always wanted to see what I could do with a weapon like that," I noted. "But guess what, Vanitas? If I can't have the χ-blade..."

I raised Brightcrest and charged forward.

"...then no one can!"

Vanitas tried to defend himself, but I leapt into the air and ripped forward with a mighty strike.

This didn't destroy the χ-blade as I thought it would, but it slipped from Vanitas' hands.

I watched in amusement as Vanitas tried to reach for it, but failed every single time. After a bit, he gave up and fell back to the platform. The χ-blade floated a bit before glowing brightly and shattering into shards of glass.

"And now for you," I growled, Brightcrest glowing with a radiant emerald light. I slashed Vanitas across his side, and he began glowing with the same emerald light.

"_Pillars of brightness that surround my heart!"_ I exclaimed, rushing forward and teleporting rapidly, striking at Vanitas with each teleport. _"Clamp down on the treacherous voices of the darkness!"_

Before long, Vanitas was encased in an emerald prism of glass.

"_Mystic Arte! Last Word!"_ I chanted, ripping forward and thrusting Brightcrest straight into the prism, completely shattering it and leaving nothing of Vanitas behind.

I smiled, feeling the last of my energy leave me...

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(normal P.O.V.)

Yuki looked down at Nick. Was he okay?

Just then, Nick slowly stood up, though for some odd reason, he didn't appear to be doing it of his own free will.

Yuki was quite concerned, but it became shock when the complete χ-blade once again appeared in Nick's right hand.

But what seemed to scare Yuki the most was the fact that when Nick opened his eyes, they were dull, gray, and lifeless...

...almost as if he had lost his heart.

"N-Nick-kun?" Yuki gasped, quivering a bit.

Nick just ignored her and raised the χ-blade above his head, ready to strike.

Just then, Yuki's chest began glowing brightly.

"What the...?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**What... what is this? Where am I? What happened?**

_You lost your heart. But it's not gone forever._

**Huh?**

_Just follow my voice, Nick-kun._

**Yuki-chan? Is that you?**

_Yeah. Something happened, but I don't know what. Just keep your mind on me, okay?_

**That's gonna be hard. All I can feel is the darkness... I could feel myself fading away the instant I destroyed the χ-blade.**

_Don't let it take you, Nick-kun. Here, I'll help you._

Nick's hand reached out through the darkness, only to be almost completely covered in it.

But just when it looked like he would be completely consumed by the darkness, Yuki's hand reached out and took Nick's hand into her own, creating a bright light that drove the darkness away.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(back to Nick's P.O.V.)

Trying to adjust my eyesight, I slowly opened my eyes, unsure of where I was. At first, my sight was completely black. Had I been consumed by the darkness?

"Oh, thank goodness he's awake," I heard Yuki say as my vision began to return to me.

"Yuki-chan? What the heck?"

Before I could react, I had been shoved back down to the ground as Yuki threw her arms around me.

"AGH! Easy, sis... I'm still a little sore..."

"Sorry..."

I just ruffled her hair affectionately. "S'okay. I know you're affectionate like that."

"What exactly just HAPPENED there, Nick-kun?" Moriko exclaimed. "First that Van-whatever guy merges with you, then you go crazy and attack us with the χ-blade, and now this?"

"Shouldn't you be keeping that a secret, Moriko-san?" Satoshi shot back.

"It's okay, guys," I reassured everyone. "I know about what was going on while I was fighting Vanitas. And let's just say that he won't be a problem anymore."

"So Vanitas is gone? He's gone for good?" Sakura asked.

"Yep," I replied, proud of myself. "Got him good."

"But the weird thing is, I thought I lost my heart..."

Sakura almost went into shock because of that. "What did you say, otou-san?"

"Vanitas said that the χ-blade was made of both his heart and my heart, and that if I destroyed it, my heart would vanish forever," I explained. "I knew that's what happened after I owned him, but for some reason, I'm still here. I'm confused..."

I then noticed that my sister's chest was glowing a bit.

"Um, Nick-kun, this may sound crazy, but... I think the reason you're here... is because my heart found yours..."

I suddenly realized something. "I don't think it's crazy at all, sis... as I was falling into the darkness, I started forgetting things... my friends, who I was. But, I heard a voice that cut through the darkness and saved me... that was you, wasn't it, Yuki-chan?"

"I couldn't just stand there and do nothing, Nick-kun..." Yuki replied, a few tears falling from her eyes. "You're the most precious person in my life. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you..."

I couldn't help but smile, blushing a bit at my sister's straightforwardness. Just then, I noticed something odd... I looked down, and the complete χ-blade was still clenched in my right hand.

"Why didn't that thing go away when Vanitas died?" Satoshi wondered. "We shouldn't be letting that thing stay in this world!"

"Calm down, Satoshi-kun," I stated. "I think I know a good reason to hold on to the χ-blade."

Sakura was the first to realize it. "If you have the χ-blade, otou-san, then Error can't get his greasy hands on it..."

"Bingo," I stated, lifting the χ-blade and letting it disappear until I needed it again.

I looked over at Yuki, and to my surprise, she looked like she was about to start crying.

"Yuki-chan, you okay?"

Almost without warning, Yuki threw herself into my arms again, though I quickly returned the hug so I wouldn't fall down and clonk my head again. Hehehe...

"Nick-kun... I'm so glad you're all right... I... I don't know what I'd do if I lost you..." Yuki stated, burying herself in my shoulder. "I don't ever want to lose you, Nick-kun... I already lost Saiki-kun, and it makes me feel awful that I let it happen... I don't want you to leave me, too..."

"What is this, Yuki-chan?" I responded, patting her head softly. "I told you, I'm not leaving you ever. Promise."

Yuki just nodded, letting a few tears fall.

"I love you, Nick-kun. I love you so, so much..."

"I love you, too, Yuki-chan."


	2. Act 2: Song of the Younger World

Act 2: Song of the Younger World

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

On the way, we rested, and I dreamed.

Maybe I wanted a pleasant dream to counteract the nightmares, and what not. It was just a shame that I wasn't allowed to have nice things anymore.

"Are you bipolar?"

I flinched, looking around in the blackness to see the younger me standing there, looking almost exasperated. I hugged my knees and remained silent.

"You know, miss, I'm starting to think that you are really, really bipolar," she continued, folding her arms. "It's troublesome, you know...? Acting like that..."

"I..." I hesitated. "I can't help it... I already lost..."

"I don't remember you losing... I just remember you throwing him away because that's how paranoid you were. Are you being selfish again by wording it in a way that doesn't make it seem like you're the one to blame?"

I couldn't answer.

"Miss, that's wrong."

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Nii-chan won't leave us. You know that."

I nodded along, and she continued.

"But... that boy on the other hand... He won't slip through your fingers... he'll only go away if you hurt him enough."

My eyes shot wide as I stared at the little girl, watching her smirk and then giggle.

"Miss... Nii-chan won't go no matter how many things you throw at him but don't you know that that boy is different...?"

I'd have to be a complete moron to not know who she was referring to.

Saiki-kun...

The name rang out from my mind and echoed all around like a prayer and a call. I held myself together, biting harshly down on my lip.

"If that boy shoved you away and refused you... you wouldn't leave... because you're nowhere near as weak as he is."

I shook softly.

"...yet you always take advantage of nii-chan because you can't handle being weak..."

"I-I..."

"It's true, right?" the girl sounded sad, almost piteous.

I felt disgusted. "Thank you for setting my sight in order... Okay, fine."

I stood up, growling. "I'm not okay with being weak, alright? And I like Nick-kun comforting me! I'm selfish, alright? I'M SELFISH!"

She was unaffected. "And...?"

"A-And... a selfish thing like me doesn't deserve Saiki-kun... but he deserves to know, alright? HE DESERVES TO KNOW!"

"But why are the others with you? They can handle the bad guy, sure... but do you really need them to talk?"

I thought about it, and then I sighed.

"No... Not really."

"Okay, then go by yourself." She huffed, folding her arms and then frowning. "L-Look, there's a time and place for everything, miss..."

"Alright. I'll go on my own and believe me, I will let him know everything."

"But what if nii-chan follows you?"

"He'll understand."

"...will he?"

I wasn't sure. I really wasn't. But that didn't mean anything.

"It's still my own personal damn mission, alright?"

A smile fluttered at her lips.

"If you say so..."

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My eyes shot open as I pushed myself up. Everyone else was resting, save for Satoshi and Mana who seemed to be playing some sort of card game... old maid?

I turned to Nick who was currently asleep with Momoko's head on his shoulder and to where Akemi and Moriko had their arms wrapped around one another while Kurumi was wrapped in a blanket, Sakura curled up beside her.

"Okaa-san?" Satoshi and Mana turned towards me as I stood up, sighing. "Did you have another nightmare?"

"More like an epiphany and... listen... You two... is it alright if I go search for Saiki-kun on my own while you guys go after Error?"

They looked surprised.

"Okaa-chan, what are you...?"

"J-Just please! He's mine, alright? Oh kami-sama, please just let him be mine... I want to go after him on my own." I clapped my hands together and bowed my head, gulping.

"P-Please?"

_I need to see him alone... if I bring the others... there's no way that he'll listen to me... Nick-kun doesn't need to be involved when this whole thing is my fault..._

The two kids looked uneasy.

"Okaa-san... are you sure?" Satoshi was fumbling through a bag. "Because, uh... Error..."

"He'll come where the χ-blade is, won't he? Nick-kun will be fine." I sighed, already looking out to the night sky above. "I... I want to go alone and so I will... Maybe sure no one follows, alright? That's an order!"

"Fine," Mana responded curtly with a huff, folding her arms as she did. "But because I'm a good girl..."

Satoshi still looked fairly and understandably uncertain.

"If... you say so, I supposed... but... Akatsuki...?"

"All the more reason to go alone!" I exclaimed before kissing both of their foreheads. "Alright, you two, later!"

And just like that, I burst into a sprint, dashing ahead lest Nick ever wake up and realize that I was missing.

It had to be done, right?

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_"Saiki-kun, if I ever need you, I'll just call, right? And you'll come right away! Promise that you will! Promise, promise, promise!"_

_"Very well... I promise, Yuki-chan."_

_"Alright!"_

I looked around as I walked, sighing softly as I did in thought.

_Did the others already know that I was gone?_

I didn't want to think too much about it.

_"You'll be there when I call for you, alright?"_

_"I promise. If I'm close enough, I'll definitely come if I hear you."_

_"Thank you!"_

"Saiki-kun? If you can hear me..." I kept my voice loud, it shaking just a bit as I stumbled forward. "Please, come... I want to speak to you... I really do..."

No response.

"Saiki-kun!" I exclaimed a bit louder, gulping as I did. "N-No one else is here, so please... Please!"

I couldn't explain it very well, but out here in the open, all by myself and calling out... I still felt positive about something.

He was near and he could definitely hear me... There wasn't a single doubt about it.

I kept myself still and took a deep breath.

"Come on... I know you can hear me..."

How I knew was a mystery.

I refused to think that it was because the two of us still had a 'connection' that Error failed to tarnish.

That would just be allowing myself to hope a little too much.

But then again, maybe I was doing this wrong.

"AKATSUKI-KUN!" I shouted. "IF YOU'RE NOT LETTING ME SEE HIM THEN SHOW UP!"

I only had to wait a few minutes after that.

"You're too stubborn for your own good," Akatsuki muttered as he appeared in front of me, his arms folding in distaste. "Bothering Saiki-kun when you hurt him enough already..."

I gulped.

"...Well, that doesn't matter now, seeing as I'm not going to allow you or Kellysi-kun to ever see him again."

"Just once... I just want him to know... H-He wasn't to blame, E-Error... Error took his form and attacked me... Nick-kun got confused so don't be mad at him..." I begged desperately, shaking my head. "I-It's not his fault... and Saiki-kun wasn't to blame... He needs to know that I realized that..."

"...You're a little late." His voice was cold. "You hurt him and you didn't even flinch when Nick-kun hurt him. That's unforgivable, Yuki-chan."

"I-I... I don't want him to forgive me, I just..."

"I don't care."

I snapped up and Akatsuki's expression was dark, shadowed.

"If that's the treatment my baby brother's going to get then I don't want him to be in any part of it. Even if you apologize now, that doesn't make it alright."

Oh how I knew that.

"If anything, it makes you more despicable since it took you so long."

I sat down, sighing. "I know..."

"If you know, then why'd you show up?" the older prince looked at me with a pained grimace. "And to think, you're Doremi-chan's best friend... I swear, you should just stay away. You and especially your brother..."

"L-Look, just because I made a mistake, it doesn't mean that you can just push Nick-kun away too...!" I gasped as I stood up, shaking. "I-I mean... He didn't do anything wrong by protecting me..."

"You could have stopped him. He could have stopped himself. You two just don't realize... If Saiki-kun hurts you, of course Kellysi-kun will get on the offensive... But if you hurt Saiki-kun, then what? I don't want my brother to be alone when it comes to you two."

...He's right... Oh kami-sama, he's right... Nick-kun's wronged Saiki-kun before too... I-I always told him off for it, but the one time I lost hope in myself... who am I supposed to blame? Either way, Saiki-kun is still alone when I can't defend him!

I clenched my fists, looking up desperately with tears welling up in my eyes. "I... I want to talk to him... face to face... just once."

"No. Look, Yuki-chan, otouto-chan has been in situations like this before with disastrous results... and you wouldn't understand. Just imagine Kellysi-kun still and blank to the world, not responding, not laughing, not smiling, and not doing anything... Just a doll, a marionette with no emotions..."

I couldn't bear to imagine.

"Saiki-kun didn't speak for a long time, and I don't mean that lightly... I'm not going to have you break him all over again when he's still so fragile," the daytime elemental shook his head. "I won't let you see him. You've given me no reason to."

"Akatsuki-kun...!"

He disappeared as quickly as he appeared and just like that, the world felt emptier and crueler than before.

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"That was a nice nap, huh?" Kurumi giggled.

"Yeah, it was," I instantly responded, though I couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong.

"Wait. Guys, where did Yuki-chan go?" I asked, now starting to get really worried when I noticed my sister wasn't with the group.

Almost instantly, I gazed at Mana, who seemed to be keeping her mouth shut.

"Mana-chan, where is she?" I asked.

Mana just stayed silent.

"Answer me, Mana-chan!"

"I can't, jii-chan," Mana responded. "She told me not to tell you."

"She went to go see the Shidoosha twins," Sakura explained.

"Sakura-chan, you weren't supposed to tell!" Mana exclaimed.

"Yuki-jou-chan only told YOU not to tell where she went," Sakura responded.

"Aren't we the clever one?" Mana groaned, sweatdropping.

"Knowing how Akatsuki-kun's been acting since Error attacked us, that's probably not gonna end well," I noted. "I'm gonna go find Yuki-chan. I'll be right back, guys."

Before anyone could argue, I summoned Brightcrest and rushed off.

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If I know Akatsuki (and believe me, I know him), he's not gonna let Yuki see Saiki. I just hope I can find those two before things get even worse.

Because, let's face it, even though Vanitas is finally out of the picture, we still have to worry about Error and that Cardia Stigma chick. And Error's probably going to be coming after us non-stop now that I've got my hands on the χ-blade. I really want to get these issues resolved before things get worse than they already are.

After a few minutes of searching, I heard something.

"I... I want to talk to him... face to face... just once."

"I'm not going to have you break him all over again when he's still so fragile. I won't let you see him. You've given me no reason to."

When I moved a little further forward, I saw Yuki standing there alone.

Before I could decide if I should go over there, she looked up.

"Please, Akatsuki-kun... please..."

The daytime elemental appeared again, looking exasperated.

"Yuki-chan, don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"Akatsuki-kun, I'm trying to apologize! I'm being as sincere as I've always been!"

"I know that, but that doesn't change anything."

"Aka-chan, please let me see him! I don't want to lose my last chance!"

The instant I saw Akatsuki raise his now-glowing fist towards Yuki, that was all the incentive I needed to get moving.

"Yuki-chan, I SAID NO!"

Akatsuki thrust his glowing fist forward, but just before it could strike, I willed Brightcrest into my hands and rushed forward to meet the strike, stopping him only two inches from my sister.

"Nick-kun?" Yuki wondered, surprised he had actually followed her.

"So, Akatsuki-kun, I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way, huh?" I growled, forcing Akatsuki away and bringing Brightcrest into fighting stance.

"Look, Kellysi-kun, I'm in no mood for any of this," Akatsuki stated, so just put your weapon away. Nothing you do will make me change my mind."

Now I had just about had it.

"So, that's it, then?" I shouted, a powerful energy aura exploding from my body. "You're just gonna have Saiki-kun cut off all ties with the girl he loves just because it's what YOU think is best for him? Wasn't Yuki-chan trying to tell you that what happened before was just a stupid misunderstanding?"

Realizing that Brightcrest wouldn't do much against Akatsuki-kun, I concentrated for a second, and Brightcrest transformed into the χ-blade.

"I thought I knew you better than this, Akatsuki-kun," I growled. "The Akatsuki-kun I know would have paid attention and talked things out instead of just shutting everyone that's not your brother out of your life. You need to learn a lesson that not EVERYTHING revolves around your brother."

"And yet you always fawn over your sister like she's the only thing that matters to you," Akatsuki responded. That REALLY got me angry.

"But at least I have my own damn principles, Akatsuki-kun!" I shot back, swinging the χ-blade threateningly. "I'm not gonna make Yuki-chan stay away from someone forever just because I don't like that person! I don't think you know this, but when Yuki-chan and Saiki-kun started dating, I was dead set against it, but I wasn't going to make Yuki-chan stop seeing him just because of that!"

"Why, then?"

"Because Yuki-chan was happy with him. She'd finally found the boy of her dreams, and despite the fact that I didn't like him then, I wasn't going to stand in the way of my sister's happiness. That's something you apparently don't understand. Those two are happy with each other, and just because of one stupid misunderstanding, you're going to cut off all ties with us?"

I readied the χ -blade. "That has got to be the most idiotic thing I've ever heard in my LIFE!"

With that, I slammed the χ-blade into the ground, creating an energy fissure that rocketed towards the daytime elemental, who rather easily dodged.

"I didn't want it to come to this, Kellysi-kun," Akatsuki stated, his hands glowing.

"Put up or shut up," I shot back.

Not giving Akatsuki any time to react, I held the χ-blade to the sky, gathering energy into it.

Just as Akatsuki got close, energy exploded from me, knocking him back, and I wasted no time in charging forward while spinning.

Though Akatsuki dodged that attack, I tried again, leaping and slamming the χ-blade into the ground in front of him, creating an X-shaped fissure that he dodged again.

Becoming really annoyed by this point, I performed another spinning strike, then I leaped back and swung the χ-blade twice, creating an X-shaped energy wave that rocketed towards Akatsuki, though he just let loose a burst of light that stopped the shot.

"I didn't want to do this, Nick-kun," Akatsuki growled, his hands glowing brightly. "But you don't leave me any other choice."

Before I could ask what that meant, Akatsuki slammed his glowing fist into my stomach, instantly dazing me. I could just barely see Yuki gasping in shock.

_"Rising rays of the daylight!"_ Akatsuki shouted, striking me multiple times and not giving me any time to defend myself. _"I'll show you what's in my hands!"_

Akatsuki slammed me back to the ground with an overhead fist strike before aiming his glowing hands towards me again.

_"Mystic Arte! Asterism Line!"_ Akatsuki shouted, flicking his hands out and creating multiple rays of light that ripped at my body and caused quite a bit of damage.

I struggled to get to my feet, balancing myself on the χ-blade.

"Listen, Kellysi-kun, get it through your thick head," Akatsuki stated firmly. "I don't want you or Yuki-chan coming near my brother ever again."

"What happened to you, Akatsuki-kun?" I queried, Yuki rushing up to my side. "Why do you suddenly think that everything is about your brother and nothing more? You've changed, and I don't like it. So, let me guess, you're probably going to shove Doremi-chan away next, because she's not your brother, right?"

Akatsuki's face suddenly flared with anger. Maybe I shouldn't have said that...

"You leave Doremi-chan OUT OF THIS!" Akatsuki shouted, firing a massive burst of light that sent me crashing into the ground.

"Akatsuki-kun, STOP!" Yuki nearly screamed, standing defiantly in front of me. "I don't care what happens to me, but I'm not letting you kill the last precious person in my life!"

"Yuki-chan, move," Akatsuki stated firmly.

"No. I'm not moving until you let me see Saiki-kun."

I tried to pick myself up, not having much success, but my eyes shot open when I saw Akatsuki slug Yuki in the face like he tried to earlier.

"I didn't want to do that, Yuki-chan, but you're really making it hard for me to keep my hands to myself," Akatsuki stated. "I've already told you that I won't let you anywhere NEAR him."

I quicky shot to my feet, my right hand gripping the hilt of the χ-blade so hard my knuckles turned white.

"You SON OF A BITCH!" I screamed, the χ-blade glowing with an otherworldly light.

Akatsuki turned his attention towards me just as I began to glow.

With one deciding slash, I knocked Akatsuki backwards. But I wasn't done yet. The χ-blade began to shine with multiple colors.

_"Embrace your pride during your eternal slumber!"_ I chanted as I swung the χ-blade horizontally, creating an expulsion of ice energy that cut into Akatsuki multiple times.

_"Descend into ashes and scatter into nothingness!"_ I continued, tossing the χ-blade forward so it spun above Akatsuki, creating a vortex of wind that caused even more damage. I called the χ-blade back so I could prepare for my final strike, raising it high above my head.

_"Mystic Arte! Eternal Descent!"_ I chanted, slamming the χ-blade into the ground and creating an energy upheaval that slashed at Akatsuki from below.

But I was quite surprised to see that Akatsuki didn't appear to have taken any damage at all from my Mystic Arte.

Man, this guy's unreal!

"It's not gonna work, Kellysi-kun," Akatsuki stated before disappearing again.

"This is really beginning to annoy me," I growled before turning back to my sister. "You okay?"

"You weren't supposed to follow me, Nick-kun," Yuki responded, trying to look stern, but I knew she was relieved to see me.

"I couldn't just let you do this alone, sis," I stated. "We may have a better chance at getting to Saiki-kun if we do this together."

I easily noticed that Yuki seemed to shiver when I mentioned her boyfriend's name.

"Nick-kun... I know it's probably over between me and Saiki-kun, but I at least want him to know what really happened," Yuki stated. "So let's go find him, okay?"

"Just be careful, all right?" I continued, taking Yuki's hand. "Knowing Akatsuki-kun, he's probably gonna get serious about this."

Yuki nodded, and we were on our way.

I felt incredibly relieved when Yuki gave my hand a gentle squeeze, silently showing me that she'd be by my side the whole way.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"They hurt you."

Akatsuki flinched as he turned towards Saiki, frowning and sighing at the sight of his younger brother sitting there, fiddling with the locket he received earlier.

"Nick-kun... really needs more patience..." the black-haired wizard murmured, looking down at the locket, gripping it. "Perhaps you should have... explained it better?"

"And where would the good have gone in that case? I'm amazed you're still referring to him so casually, Sai," Akatsuki stated as he raised one eyebrow. "You said that you wouldn't try to listen in..."

"I can hear yours and Yuki-chan's voices better than you can imagine. I couldn't help myself hearing you two, and once Nick-kun entered, I stopped trying to not focus completely."

Saiki looked away guiltily, gulping.

"I-I apologize... I made a mistake."

Silence.

He continued.

"It's hard, you know, trying to not listen in between two people that you care about more than you can begin to comprehend especially when you've already taught yourself to focus on their voices so that the range will spread out even farther and farther..."

Akatsuki blinked once, and his lips twitched into a smile.

"...You take things too seriously."

The night elemental blinked and soon sighed.

"We're the same in that aspect and nothing else." Saiki looked up sadly, eyes wide. "Don't you think that you went a little too far? If you remained sensible, Nick-kun would have..."

"Sai..."

"He brought up Doremi-chan because he doesn't know... Akatsuki..."

"Stop."

The younger sibling immediately halted and curled even more in on himself.

"I-I... I don't understand... There are many things that I still don't understand... If... you..."

"Sai, you're getting hysterical," the older prince murmured as he approached his sibling, taking the other's shoulders. "You don't know what you're talking about..."

"Nick-kun is such... an idiot... why is he always on the offensive?" Saiki slumped. "And why is it that it's so hard to let explain everything than to let them just... go awry the way they do?"

"Saiki-kun..." Akatsuki warned, parting some of the black strands from the others eyes. "You're not thinking... You're not lucid right now..."

"When is it ever clear though? I don't even know... this isn't... I don't know why... People are selfish, but I... Can't you tell them?"

"Shouldn't they know?"

"How do you expect those two to figure it out...? Nick-kun is... an idiot. And Yuki-chan's the kind of girl to only figure something out when it's presented right in front of her face. Those two aren't observant. They never have been and never will be..."

"Hmm..." Akatsuki paused for just a moment. "You sure love calling Kellysi-kun an idiot, huh? You're almost at the point of using it as an endearment..."

At that point, Saiki flushed horribly. "T-That's because he... I... I don't know... He was like that even when we met, you know..."

"I see..." the daytime elemental mused as he skimmed his fingers down the curve Saiki's jaw. "But it won't do any good. I know Kellysi-kun better than you would think."

_"You're just gonna have Saiki-kun cut off all ties with the girl he loves just because it's what YOU think is best for him? Wasn't Yuki-chan trying to tell you that what happened before was just a stupid misunderstanding?"_

_"The Akatsuki-kun I know would have paid attention and talked things out instead of just shutting everyone that's not your brother out of your life. You need to learn a lesson that not EVERYTHING revolves around your brother."_

_"I'm not gonna make Yuki-chan stay away from someone forever just because I don't like that person! I don't think you know this, but when Yuki-chan and Saiki-kun started dating, I was dead set against it, but I wasn't going to make Yuki-chan stop seeing him just because of that!"_

_"Because Yuki-chan was happy with him. She'd finally found the boy of her dreams, and despite the fact that I didn't like him then, I wasn't going to stand in the way of my sister's happiness. That's something you apparently don't understand. Those two are happy with each other, and just because of one stupid misunderstanding, you're going to cut off all ties with us?"_

"Nii-chan, really..."

"Kellysi-chan wouldn't know. Kellysi-kun wouldn't understand that it's not just about the misunderstanding... That was just the trigger on an already deadly gun..." Akatsuki slid down to the floor beside his brother, pulling the darker reflection close as Saiki yelped. "The 'me' from earlier that he was referring to... didn't have to worry as much now..."

"N-Nii-chan?"

"He still doesn't get it... Is he unable to get everything without me having to drop the hint?" the older prince sighed heavily, pressing his forehead to his sibling's. "It's more than just the issue of him always on edge... and Yuki-chan's not at fault..."

"Are you talking to yourself? You know, that's not good if others can hear you..." Saiki smiled weakly, his eyes shutting. "You might not be thinking clearly either."

"No, I'm lucid," Akatsuki separated from him, standing up and turning to glance off somewhere else. "Sai, be honest... You understand what I'm trying to do, right?"

"Even if I didn't, there would still be no objection because I trust you... Though... I'd prefer it if you wouldn't turn to lashing out... Yuki-chan getting physically hurt... is still something I can't really stand."

"Fine. Just talking."

"No dirty tricks either. I'm not alright with that."

"You're too much, you know that?" Akatsuki stated as he smiled sadly towards his brother. "You can't even tell me when something's not okay. You don't object to anything else... But when it includes you, you just completely clam up and become so easy to manipulate."

Saiki didn't respond. The older prince's smile widened just a bit as he chuckled softly.

"Is there a reason for that?"

When the younger Shidoosha met his eyes, his coal eyes were blank.

"You know me best. Unlike those two, nii-chan, I don't need to explain anything to you."

_Ah, yes... That's true..._ Akatsuki's smile died at the thought. _It's mostly the reason why I can't back down..._

_Because... I know if those two break him... that will be that._

_...And I can't allow that to happen. I can't allow anyone near his heart anymore..._

"You aren't making me out to be the bad guy, right? Even if Kellysi-kun and Yuki-chan believe that..." he reached out and the other grabbed his hand, making him bite on his lower lip. "I-I mean... I..."

"Akatsuki, you're the one that I trust more than anyone in the world. You're the one that I'm never going to stop believing in even in the very end."

Akatsuki regarded him in surprise and Saiki looked away, sadly squeezing his brother's hand even tighter.

"Don't forget that, alright? Don't forget that I trust you."

The daytime elemental had to smile ruefully at that as he nodded.

"...I'll be sure to be more careful."

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"You know Nick-kun, I really don't blame Akatsuki-kun at all..."

"...Hmm?" He looked confused... not surprised... just confused. Then his stare darkened. "Even if what he did was for Saiki-kun..."

"Nick-kun, think. This is the first misunderstanding... that turned out violent... that Akatsuki-kun felt the need to step into."

I swung our hands, sighing. "Do you think that maybe, after having it happen so often... Akatsuki-kun just snapped the way we did after the time when otou-san started to get..."

I trailed off and the silence got tense.

We both knew what I was referring to, easily.

"T-That... That's different..." Nick coughed and suddenly he growled, his fist clenching. "I'm not like _him_..."

"I-I never said that!" I cried quickly, snapping my hand away and flinching just in case. "Believe me, I wasn't even thinking it!"

"I-I'm sorry..." My brother buried his hands into his pockets. "I know you didn't mean it like that, Yuki-chan... I was just..."

"B-But that's where I was going with this... I may not believe that, but if Akatsuki-kun does, he sure as hell won't let us near Saiki-kun... if I believed that... I wouldn't either..."

I kept my hands close to my heart.

"I want to talk to Saiki-kun face to face... and Akatsuki-kun won't let me... because he thinks that I'll just hurt Saiki-kun even more..."

"But... Yuki-chan... You two are happy together and he can't just..."

"Saiki-kun's happier around Akatsuki-kun than he is around me..." I stated before I could remember happy moments with Saiki and me. "It's not Akatsuki-kun's stubbornness that makes him difficult, Nick-kun. It's... the fact that..."

"Saiki-kun is completely willing to do anything for him," Nick bit his tongue as soon as he said that. "I know... Saiki-kun's said it himself before."

I perked up.

_"I-I'm sorry, my brother, he's just... protective... that's all..."_

_"Oh, I know," Saiki simply laughed and I perked up, eyes wide as a blush rose in my face. "But don't worry, Akatsuki-nii-chan's protective too... though I can't understand why. But I understand Nick-kun's reasons."_

_"I-I... Nick-nii-chan is very special to me..." The title slipped off my tongue uncertainly for once, and my heart was simply pounding how he smiled lightly._

_"I'd do anything for onii-chan... so I understand that as well."_

"Well, Saiki-kun's helpless when it comes to Akatsuki-kun being the unreasonable one for once," Nick grimaced, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"So... now what?"

"Nick-kun..."

"What?" he looked at me in confusion. "We have to make him understand, sis... it's not alright to hold Saiki-kun prisoner to his own ideals."

"I think... to have him understand us, we must understand him... Shouldn't that be what empathy and compassion are for?" I laced my fingers together at the thought. "I love Saiki-kun so much... but I only put him over you in the trivial, unimportant matters."

"Are you sure about that? I mean, you've threatened me before..."

"Nick-kun, focus! Trivial, unimportant matters are large in numbers, but matters where it actually counts aren't. This isn't one of those things where the higher number is more significant." I bit my lip. "I... I protected Saiki-kun rather poorly..."

_Are you just now figuring that out?_ A hurt voice shot at me and I flinched. _You should have listened earlier when I told you that Saiki-kun is not evil!_

I should have. But I didn't.

This proved my point.

"This moment not only proved your rashness, but my incompetency. God, Nick-kun, we screwed up more royally than you can imagine in this whole Error fiasco."

He was slowly letting his sink in, grabbing his chin, eyes narrowing. "It was just a misunderstanding..."

"Yeah, to you. But not to Akatsuki-kun... don't you see? We've been making fatal mistakes like that for far too long... and no amount of happiness will be able to make him overlook it... but... urgh..."

I clutched at my head, flinching.

"My head really hurts..."

"Yuki-chan?"

His hands rested up on my shoulders.

"It won't be easy, now... I think Saiki-kun's far away now..." I looked out into the distance sighing. "Then again, when is it ever easy?"

Nick didn't say anything.

Neither of us did.

There was really nothing to say...

I just hoped something good would happen, eventually.

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

For once in my entire life, I was utterly unsure of what we were supposed to do next.

And to be honest, that really disturbed me.

I usually always have at least an idea of what to do next, mostly because it's always been in relation to the creeps and jerkoffs that Yuki and I have been stuck fighting since we learned magic.

But when it comes to someone that I thought was an ally of ours...

Yeah. I've got nothing.

Akatsuki Shidoosha was the last person I would EVER expect to be irrational like that. Usually, he's so calm and level-headed. Yuki says the incident with Error pushed him over the edge, but I don't think that's everything.

Akatsuki is as dedicated to Saiki as I'm dedicated to my sister. I'd probably be the same way if something like this happened to my sister.

The two of us, Akatsuki and I, are more alike than I ever thought we were. And to be frank, that scares me a bit.

"Nick-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"I hope I didn't strike a bad chord back there when we were talking about..."

"I'm just trying to put everything in perspective, sis. I'm used to fighting creeps, but Akatsuki-kun isn't one of those creeps. He's a friend. And that's why I'm so confused about this..."

After a while of walking mostly in silence (we occasionally spoke up about random things), we eventually stopped by a few trees.

"You okay, Yuki-chan? You look like you're about to collapse..."

"I'll be fine, Nick-kun. I'm just a little sleepy from all that walking..."

A quick stretch and yawn later, Yuki leaned against me as we laid down.

"How about we take a nap here?"

Another yawn answered my question. I wrapped my arms around Yuki and pulled her close just as her eyes began to shut.

"Nick-kun? There's something I really want you to know."

I looked down at my sister, who had her head resting on my shoulders.

"You know I've been in love with Saiki-kun ever since I met him at the carnival? And I just told you that I only put him over you in silly, trivial matters. That's the absolute truth."

I suddenly started wondering what she was getting at.

"I don't know if I told you this, but a while before you and I went to Christina Island, I went to Saiki-kun, and... well, for lack of a better term, things got really intense. I was so afraid that Saiki-kun was gonna leave me for good then..."

"Because of that little trip Oyajide-san made them go on, right?" I knew full well what incident Yuki was referring to. Some strange events had been occurring in the Mahoutsukaikai for a good while, and a lot of magicians had investigated, only for none to return. (The ones who did return... they were dead, for lack of a better term.)

Yuki just nodded. "I was so scared. I was afraid that if they went to check it out, they wouldn't come back. I didn't want Saiki-kun to leave me, so I stormed the palace and tried to convince him not to go. I said all kinds of things, like how he was the light of my life, things like that. I was flipping my wig, Nick-kun, seriously. But then he said some things that made me think. He told me that what he and I had was pretty much nothing compared to what you and I have. I'd only known Saiki-kun for about a year and a half, while you and I have been together ever since I was born. He said that despite that he loves me with all his heart, he could never compare to you when it came to the precious person in my life. For a while, I wasn't sure what he meant, but now it's quite clear to me."

Yuki shifted her position so she was lying on top of me, staring at me with nothing but love in her eyes.

"Nick-kun... you're my number one."

And with that, Yuki pressed her lips to mine for a quick few seconds. It wasn't really romantic, but it seemed to radiate how much we both cared for each other. There's nothing wrong with it.

When Yuki pulled back, she was blushing brightly. "I don't think I can ever thank you enough for everything you've done for me, Nick-kun, but you can be damn sure I'm going to try my hardest. Because you're the most precious person in my life, and that's never going to change..."

And with that, Yuki threw her arms around me, cuddled into my shoulder, and fell asleep right there.

I smiled myself, wrapping my arms around her as well before letting sleep overtake me.

In the nearby bush, Sakura and Momoko poked their heads out.

"Good to see they're doing all right," Momoko giggled.

Just then, somewhere nearby, a flash of darkness rippled through the air, and Error came out from it.

Sakura gasped in shock, and was about to come over and assist, but Momoko held her back.

"Well, well," Error sneered. "Here comes Sleeping Beauty and her second prince. I hate to break up something so peaceful."

Smirking evilly, Error raised his hand and summoned his weapon, the evil-looking Darkgnaw.

"But, as much as I want this peaceful scene to keep unfolding, I do have a reputation to think of."

Error thrust Darkgnaw towards me, but completely surprising him, I materialized Brightcrest in the hand that wasn't ruffling my sister's hair and thrust it forward to intercept Error's strike.

"Wha... how did you see me coming?" Error exclaimed.

"I could sense your stink from a mile away," I stated, my eyes fluttering open. "Now, you wanna explain why you're here, freak?"

"It should be obvious," Error stated clearly. "You have something I need."

"I don't know what you need the χ-blade for, but I'm not giving it up, so you may as well just stay out of our hair," I shot back.

Error continued to flash that sickening smile of his. "You two are just lucky I don't need you until you are complete. For now, I shall bid you adieu."

And with that, the air around Error rippled until he had disappeared. Good riddance to that blabbermouth, in my opinion.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, I noticed Yuki looking up at me.

"Yeah, that jerk had better run..." Yuki stated in a sleepy voice.

I couldn't help but laugh at that. Even when she was asleep, Yuki was usually able to stay attuned to her surroundings.

"You gonna be all right, sis?"

Yuki nodded. "Let's just rest for a bit."

I nodded back, still smiling.

"Nick-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Sing me a lullaby, please?"

How could I say no to that?

And so, as Yuki rested her head on my shoulder and I began running my hands through her ebony locks, I sang for her.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

It didn't take much for me to fall asleep after that.

"You're weak, you know..." I perked up and it was the younger me again, sitting cross-legged in front of me. "You're not doing a very good job with the whole epiphany concept..."

"Oh. You."

"Yes, it's me. Who else would it be?" She put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow in disdain. "But that's beside the point!"

I blinked and crossed my legs, gulping.

"What... do you mean?"

"What do _I_ mean? What do you mean?"

I blushed at that, ducking my gaze. "I-I asked... you..."

"I mean... you don't need this!" she finally exclaimed, shaking her head. "You don't need any of this! Time and time again, you are making a _mistake_!"

_What?_

"What are you talking about...?" I wondered, pushing myself up to my feet. "I mean, I just..."

"Isn't it obvious? These discoveries are pointless in this situation! You need to do pay more attention..."

She faltered, sighing.

"You... Miss..."

"Me?" I pointed to myself, sighing. "Wait, I..."

"If you can't realize it yourself, why should I help you?"

_Wait... wait..._

"What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she shot back at me, face flushed. "It should damn well be?"

I didn't get any of this. What was obvious? What was she talking about?

_Was it really so hard to understand?_

"F-Forget it..."

And then the younger me disappeared before I could do anything and before I could say anything else.

"What..." I looked around, confused at all the empty blackness that I was now alone in. "What is...?"

_"You're not supposed to be here."_

My eyes snapped open as I perked up, charging straight-forwardly into a memory.

_"You were being irresponsible, Saiki-kun!" Ojijide's voice hissed just as I slipped in front of the open doorway, pressing it open, eyes widening as I saw Saiki on his knees, fists clenching into his laps._

_"I... I wasn't thinking... I apologize..."_

_"If it was for the prince, I would understand," the man went on, sniffling disdainfully. Saiki faltered, hair falling over his eyes. "But this is a normal human girl that doesn't have any sort of special power..."_

_"Yuki-chan isn't..." he trailed off, just as his eyes trailed and I flinched and nearly yelped when those coal orbs wandered towards mine and soon widened in surprise. "I..."_

_"Saiki-kun, look at me!" the advisor barked, and his gaze snapped back, him appearing more shaken up from before._

_My heart was literally pounding, and I could tell that his was as well._

_"Saiki-kun, you're a threat. You realize that don't you?"_

_**That couldn't be true.** I shook my head at the thought. **It just couldn't be true...**_

_Saiki didn't look like he even wanted to protest._

_"Yes, I'll be more careful. I won't... I won't lose my temper anymore."_

_This is where Ojijide's look softened though the younger Shidoosha wasn't paying attention anymore._

_"Saiki-kun, you've managed to behave yourself so far..." his voice was low as his hand shakily approached Saiki's shoulder as if trying to comfort him only to fall halfway as he sighed heavily. "You are free to go. Don't let it happen ever again."_

_Saiki didn't even flinch at his second thoughts on touching him. He gave Ojijide a weak smile that was almost heartwrenching and then he stood up._

_"I understand."_

_I backed away as he opened the door, smiling at me warily._

_"Spying on me like a little mouse in the wall... You shouldn't even be here."_

_"U-Um, I... I..." I was blushing furiously and almost too certain of it as I avoided his gaze, gulping as I did. "I-I just, um... I thought that I could... you know... I thought it wouldn't... I was..."_

_"You're not supposed to be here."_

_I stared at him in shock, jaw dropping._

_"I-I... I-I..."_

_"Yuki-chan," Ojijide huffed as he exited the room, carefully avoiding even accidentally brushing against the black-haired prince as if the other was deadly through contact. "You little eavesdropping brat."_

_I grabbed Saiki's hand, taking a bit of smugness with how the wizard flinched in surprise while Saiki didn't even react. I took it a step father, tugging his hand upwards to land his palm against my face._

_"I apologize. I was just worried."_

_"I-I... I see..." He hesitated, almost looking shocked. "Fearless and stupid all the same... I just hope you don't harm anyone with that sort of behavior..."_

_And without another word, the advisor turned around and left and Saiki slipped his hand away from my grasp, shooting me an odd gasp._

_"What was that about?"_

_I tried to smile as widely as possible. "Well, everyone already knows, but..."_

_"You were trying to prove a point, Yuki-chan." His voice was low, dry, and his gaze lowered away from my eyes onto my collarbone. "I don't understand the reason why."_

_"W-Why?"_

_He nodded only once._

_"I-Isn't it obvious?"_

_His raising of one eyebrow told me silently that it wasn't._

_My mouth felt dry and my heart was currently pounding even though it was strange... this was Saiki. Why was I so worried about Saiki?_

_I guess not knowing was one of the scary parts._

_"I-I don't understand it... why Ojijide-san's so hard on you and he hardly ever tells Akatsuki-kun off... it's not fair..."_

_I paused for just a moment._

_"D-Don't you think that it's unfair at all? I mean, Saiki-kun, you're every bit of royalty as he is if that's the case... I mean, I know that you are..."_

_"Yuki-chan. It's not that easy." Sadly, he shook his head. Nii-chan is older and that alone makes the difference."_

_"But you two are..."_

_"But even if it were switched and I was born first, nothing would change... No one would ever want me as a ruler..." Saiki's smile faltered as he shook his head. "They would rather have me executed before such a thing would happen."_

_"Executed?"_

_I gripped his collar, gritting my teeth, still feeling frost settle over my bones from his careless statement. "Saiki-kun, you are..."_

_"We will not discuss this." He spoke softly, but firmly, removing my hands and staring down seriously. "There's nothing. Nothing at all."_

_"Saiki-kun, you're not..."_

_"You don't understand. You have people who adore you. People who hurt you don't need a reason other than just being heartless... I'm not that tragic. People who want me gone also want what's best for the kingdom. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the ones that did want me around."_

_Saiki grabbed my hand and suddenly, he just smiled, polite and warm and so much like the boy I adored._

_"You're not lost, are you, Yuki-chan?" He chuckled and it made my heart pound while my mind screamed for answers. "I'll help you."_

_I didn't know what to be more shocked at... the fact that he could flip the switch on personality so easily or the obvious truth that, whether I knew it or not, Saiki wasn't as loved as I was positive I was._

_And heck, Akatsuki was so much like Nick towards him... being all gentle and soft comforts murmured into his ear as he held the other close. Actually, Akatsuki always held Saiki tighter than Nick held me, as if there was a darker air around them and more worries._

_I suppose that now, it was obvious we weren't that alike... Saiki, as impossible as it was, had enemies with good intentions._

_I never even heard of such a thing. I didn't believe it could even be possible..._

_But did Saiki even consider them 'enemies'?_

_...That look on his face made it all horribly obvious._

_He just accepted it._

_**...Crap...**_

_"He's just like a rose with thorns too sharp for his own good." Akatsuki grinned, plucking a pedal from the delicate flower and holding it up as it withered in his grip. "He needs to be nurtured in order to bloom."_

_"He's perfect," I agreed taking the rose away, kissing it lightly. "Why wouldn't he be?"_

_"You don't understand, Yuki-chan."_

My eyes snapped open and Nick was by my side in a heartbeat, rubbing comfortingly at my back and smiling gently.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Mm..." I avoided the question, pushing myself up as I sighed. "Am I really that fickle, Nick-kun?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind... I was just thinking... some more... about Saiki-kun."

But what was there to think? I loved him, but I always loved Nick more, despite all those trivial times where I'd defend Saiki instead.

It was never the time where it counted, and I said that myself.

"Don't worry... I'm pretty sure Akatsuki-kun will... eventually let us talk to him." Nick stood up, weakly grinning. "He's still our friend."

"Hardly. Akatsuki-kun was only polite and courteous because I wasn't only close to Saiki-kun, but Doremi-chan as well..." I paused. "I don't want to bring Doremi-chan into this so you don't either."

"Got it." He probably never even considered it.

That was so like him.

"You brought up Doremi-chan when you and Akatsuki-kun were arguing... that was a wrong move..."

"As if his reaction wasn't a sign of that already, Yuki-chan."

I stared at him in surprise before just looking down and sighing lightly, reaching up to twirl one of my ebony locks around my finger as I kept my eyes on the ground.

"...Uh..."

"What is it?" My brother looked curious and worried. "Yuki-chan, if you're still worried about Saiki-kun..."

"Nick-kun. If this had happened to us... would you...?" I trailed off, seeing his eyes widen as he bit onto his lip instantly. "I mean, you and Akatsuki-kun are alike..."

"I don't know... if I would go that far... It's never happened before."

"Yes it did!" I exploded, grabbing his shoulders. "Wasn't that the reason why we ran away from otou-san? He started to hurt me... He was physically abusive... Saiki-kun's been through worse! The king neglected him because he didn't know what to do... everyone who didn't see how wonderful he was hated him... and do you have any idea what that sort of emotional abuse would do to someone? I would have given up in a heartbeat if I found myself in that kind of situation and you wouldn't be able to take it either...!"

Nick looked surprised. "Wait... Emotional abuse..."

That's when I realized I made a mistake.

_"Does everyone really hate you? How is that even possible?"_

_"We're not going to talk about that. Not now, not ever, and please don't carelessly mention it to others... including Nick-kun, alright?"_

_"F-Fine..."_

"Crap..." I hiccupped, shaking all over as it all came crashing down. "Crap, crap, crap, CRAP..."

"Yuki-chan, what are you talking about?"

"I-It's nothing..." I quickly snapped, standing up as I sighed. "At least, it's nothing that I should tell you, Nick-kun... We need to get going. There's so much for us to worry about that it's not even funny, you know..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

I've never been one to be chained by the shackles of fate.

You know this.

Ever since Yuki and I struck out on our own, I've always believed that we have the strength to make our own destinies, despite what fate has in store for us.

When things go bad, I stay strong and positive.

Some people have said that I seem too proud to display emotion sometimes.

The only reason I'm like that is because I don't want my friends to worry about me. I'm just... like that, you could say.

I feel better about myself if my friends know I'm okay.

It's just how I've been my entire life.

Now, with everything that's happened, I feel like fate is trying to send us a message.

Like we're testing fate or something.

I could honestly believe that, but I just chose not to. We're going to find Saiki and fix everything, no matter what fate decides to throw at us.

I know we will.

Before I could ruminate any further, Yuki seemed to spot something up ahead.

At first glance, I thought it might have been Saiki.

But when I took a closer look, and I saw the foul aura emanating from the figure, I immediately figured it out.

"Stay sharp, sis," I stated, willing Brightcrest into my right hand.

"Error," Yuki growled. I could easily tell she was mad.

"Perceptive as you always were," Error sneered, suddenly turning into an accurate representation of Saiki. I was about to be surprised until I remembered Mana telling me that Error was a shape-shifter and could take the form of whoever he pleased.

"Before I grind your face into the dirt, answer me this," Yuki started, summoning Shutsuga Tobiume into her hand and gripping it tightly. "Why did you do it?"

"Simple," Error responded, letting Darkgnaw materialize in his right hand. "I have a mission to complete. I was beckoned by my mistress Cardia Stigma to destroy the relationship between you and your beloved night elemental. Considering how much I despise those kids of yours always getting in my way, the answer was so easy a child could figure it out. If I destroy their link, they'll disappear and I'll never have to worry about them again. But things have gone a little bit awry. Because you have something I need."

"If you're talking about the χ-blade, you can forget it," I shot back. I was this close to just running up there and pounding this guy into the ground like Yuki wanted to do.

"Sorry, but rules are rules," Error responded. "How about you just die?"

Something about the way Error said that made Yuki start shivering as she recalled her dream again.

Which meant I had to rush in front of my sister and bring Brightcrest into a defensive position to block Error's incoming attack.

"Bad move, buddy," I stated, pushing Error back. Brightcrest began to glow brightly.

"_Pillars of brightness that surround my heart!"_ I exclaimed, rushing forward and teleporting rapidly, striking at Error with each teleport. _"Clamp down on the treacherous voices of the darkness!"_

Before long, Error was encased in an emerald prism of glass.

"Go, Nick-kun! Grind him into the dirt!" Yuki exclaimed, obviously cheering me on.

_"Mystic Arte! Last Word!"_ I chanted, ripping forward and thrusting Brightcrest straight into the prism, shattering it and dealing quite a bit of damage to Error.

"How do you like that, you bastard?" I challenged.

"Not too bad, kid," Error conceded. "You might be a match for her after all. Too bad this is where I have to destroy you."

With that, Error suddenly shape-shifted into a much different form, his hair growing spiky and wild, taking on a silvery color as his eyes became a very familiar shade of menacing red, and two dark angel wings emerged from his back.

"No one has ever seen my true form before, so you are lucky to be the first and last to see it," Error explained.

"You're right about one thing, freak show," Yuki growled, stepping in front of me. "This is the last time."

With that, Yuki let out a battle cry and charged forward, rapidly slashing at Error's body.

"How DARE you try to separate me and Saiki-kun?" Yuki shouted. "Because of you, Akatsuki-kun is keeping me away from the boy I love! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"

Yuki slashed downwards, knocking Error back so she could charge up an attack of her own. Tobiume's blade began glowing a bright yellow.

"You will have none of it!" Error exclaimed, charging forward, though I was over there in a flash to intercept the attack.

After a bit, Yuki looked towards me. "Nick-kun, I've got a clear shot! Stand back!" she exclaimed.

I nodded, slamming my fist into Error's chest and stunning him before hopping away.

_"Light be thy sustenance and destroy the enemy!"_ Yuki chanted, golden energy swirling around her. Error recovered from his daze and rushed towards Yuki, but was ensnared in the swirling energy.

Yuki smirked before thrusting Tobiume high into the air.

_"Mystic Arte! Sacred Shine!"_ Yuki shouted, the energy expanding rapidly and slashing at Error repeatedly.

"You brats don't know when to give up," Error growled as he raised his hand. Yuki rushed over to my side just in time for something to strike at us.

_"Those who do not see the truth shall drown in the never-ending darkness!"_ Error chanted. _"Tremble before the aurora of the Netherworld!"_

Energy arrows rained down like comets all around us, each successive shot only adding to the damage. As if that wasn't enough, spheres of dark energy began to rain down alongside the arrows.

"Now die, brats! _Mystic Arte! Disaster Light!_"

Finally, a massive sword slammed into the earth, knocking us to the ground, our damage obvious.

"Now, will you give up your precious crusade and realize that it is hopeless to resist my might?" Error proclaimed.

"Ugh... I'm... I won't back down... you can forget it..." Yuki gasped, her wounds obvious. "Nick-kun... let's... let's wipe this bastard off the face of the earth..."

Despite my own wounds, I couldn't help but smile. "Let's."

I reached out to my sister, who took my hands into hers.

Unknown to us, the rest of our group had just arrived after having searched all over for us.

"What happened?" Sakura asked. "Did we miss all the fun?"

"What are YOU doing here, Error?" Mana exclaimed, summoning Wabisuke.

"You're persistent, aren't you?" Julie stated, bringing Metal Burst into a fighting stance.

"Um, guys, you can put your weapons away," Momoko replied, smiling brightly.

"Why's that?" Satoshi wondered, a little confused.

Momoko pointed towards me and Yuki.

A bright golden light surrounded the two of us as we rose into the air, our hands still linked. Before Error could even say anything, a powerful aura exploded to life around us as we raised our free hands into the air. This would be the double attack to end them all, I knew it. Error deserved every bit of torture this was going to give him.

"Rise! _Agari!_" Yuki chanted, silver energy swirling around her free hand.

"Rise! _Ukasu!_" I continued, emerald energy swirling around my free hand.

"What?" Error exclaimed, actually scared. I savored the frightened look on his face. "What is this power? And why do they wait until now to unleash it?"

"GO KICK HIS BUTT, OKAA-CHAN!" Mana shouted.

Energy beams began to fly into the spheres of energy we were holding.

_"Between the beauty of the tsukinode and the tsukinoiri, we only wish for the tsukikage to shine its holy light on the world we wish to love and protect!"_ we both exclaimed, our bodies glowing with all the colors of the rainbow.

Error quickly raised Darkgnaw into a defensive stance. Like he actually thinks that'll help...

"You're finished, Error! Just accept it!" I exclaimed.

"I hope this gives you hell, you sick bastard!" Yuki shouted.

We both put our free hands together, an immense sphere of golden energy forming in our palms.

_"Double Ojamajo Innocent Opera!"_

The sphere we were holding erupted into an unbelievably large golden energy beam that screamed through the air, parting just about everything in its wake as it lurched towards Error.

He quickly steadied himself as the mass of energy struck him harshly, ripping through his very essence.

"Nick-kun! He's resisting it!" Yuki exclaimed.

"Not for long, he isn't! Keep it up, sis!" I shouted.

We instantly discharged more of our energy into the gigantic beam, and yet Error still resisted. Is this guy for real?

"It... won't work..." Error stated. "I can handle anything you throw at me..."

All of a sudden, Error clutched his side in pain. I looked to my side and noticed that Mana had just tossed Wabisuke like a boomerang, which had cut into Error's shoulder harshly.

"You brat..." Error growled.

"FINISH HIM, YOU GUYS!" Mana exclaimed.

With that, Yuki and I put everything we had into the beam, which pulsed before growing even larger and completely swallowing Error up.

By the time the beam dispersed, nothing was left of Error but his weapon, which quickly dissolved into nothingness.

Yuki and I landed gracefully on the ground to applause from everybody else.

"WAY TO GO, OKAA-CHAN!" Mana exclaimed, rushing up to hug her mother. "Way to annihilate that freak!"

"And Error is officially finished," Sakura giggled, actually checking that off of a list she had brought with her. That's my daughter, all right... "All we have left to do is talk some sense into Akatsuki-kun and vaporize that Cardia Stigma chick."

"We should probably get going, then," Yuki stated, taking my hand. "The quicker we do this, the more chance we'll have of actually getting through to him."

And so, hand in hand, Yuki and I set off, the rest of our group following us every step of the way.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Along the way, we stopped to rest. Traveling through a world like this can be exhausting.

As I slept, something very strange happened.

I opened my eyes to find myself in a very strange void. I looked down and saw the same stained-glass platform I'd fought Vanitas on earlier, which meant this was my heart and I was dreaming.

But when I looked back up, someone else was standing on the platform. This new figure seemed to look exactly like me, but he had silver hair and violet eyes.

What the hell?

After a bit of thinking, I realized this was probably a manifestation of my dreaming self. Who ever said that dreams have to be normal?

Just then, my other self spoke.

"She seeks a vessel."

"Wait, what?" I responded, curious as to what exactly my other self was trying to say.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Saiki-kun, sorry to keep you waiting."

No response.

Akatsuki shut the door on his way in, perking up at the sight of his brother curled up in the corner, sleeping softly.

"Oh... so you're asleep..." A smile played at his lips as he approached the other, kneeling down to brush some of the hair from his face. "You need your rest though..."

Saiki flinched at the touch, eyes moving restlessly underneath his lids, a single name escaping his lips, "nii-chan..."

Akatsuki drew his hand back.

_Even now... Saiki-kun's the same..._

Then Saiki continued, "Koji-san..."

The older prince's eyes shot open wide and he reached to tilt his brother's chin up before brushing his hand against the other's cheek.

Instinctively, the younger nuzzled into his palm as always.

"...Huh."

_There are some things you just can't let go, can you? I wonder... if Yuki-chan's lurking about in your dreams along with..._

Akatsuki clenched his fists, mind flashing to an image of his sibling as a child, sitting there with an empty void look in his wide coal eyes.

_"He's a shadow."_

_"He's a threat."_

_"He doesn't..."_

_"**I don't care."**_

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, placing his hand over Saiki's forehead tenderly as it glowed lightly. "I'm so, so, sorry..."

_I have to know something, at least... It's fine, though. Saiki-kun is Saiki-kun and this is for his own good...!_

Akatsuki still hated the idea of going into his dream though, nonetheless. When he first tried it, training in curious youth, he ended up shrouded in darkness, terrified out of his wits...

And when he came back to, the younger twin was wailing and already begging him to never do it again for both their sakes.

He only obeyed because he hated seeing Sai in tears like that.

"Dream well," Akatsuki murmured into his ear before everything went white.

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The first thing he saw was red on the ground.

"Blood...?"

_No, this is Sai's dream... of course... it's a nightmare... it's only expectable that this would be in her dream..._

Well either way, he needed to find the source of his dream, which meant he had to travel deeper.

As if he felt bad enough to violating his sibling's privacy.

Akatsuki nearly jumped when he felt something slither past his foot and didn't dare look down.

_Saiki-kun's dreams are nightmares, it seems..._

Hating the wet, squelching sound his feet mad as he walked through the dream, Akatsuki looked about, gulping.

There has to be something...

He came across one mutilated body, slaughtered beyond recognition and simply passed by it.

Obviously a would-be victim, the older prince was sure. This had nothing to do with Cardia. This was just a part of his usual nightmares.

_If this is what haunts him... it's no wonder he's so clingy... he already worries about these sorts of things when awake..._

Akatsuki grimaced, passing yet another body.

_Oh Sai, you didn't believe a single word I said when I told you that you'd never be capable of... this... whatever this even is._

It wasn't too much longer before he came across another corpse, though he instantly stopped, seeing a small child crying beside the corpse, crying his eyes out.

And he recognized this body... how could he not? Half his, no, its face was still intact.

The older prince felt sick to his stomach as he took in the smooth navy hair and wide brown eye that was blank and empty. It wasn't too old, or too young... a young man that could have had a wonderful fiancée and bright life looking ahead of him.

"Oh _kami-sama_, Saiki-kun," he groaned as he came ever closer, staring piteously. "Why are you _doing_ this to yourself?"

That cadaver belonged to one person and one person only.

_Kojiro-san..._

If Akatsuki had been even partially acquainted with Kojiro, if he even knew anything... he would have felt disgusted and repulsed that his brother would dare dream of such a thing.

But he didn't know Kojiro well at all. All he ever saw before was a man who smiled warmly as he held his baby brother's hand and pulled him along, but always waving back in an oh so friendly manner while Ojijide would sputter indignantly and shoo Akatsuki away as he stared after the younger wizard with a slight grimace that didn't hide his respect and concern for the other in being so close to the younger prince.

Kojiro was just the first person who had Saiki smile at him, and the first person to touch him without fear.

Akatsuki couldn't come close until he died.

He couldn't even call it serendipity with how it happened...

The older prince turned his attention to the child, already aware of the shoulder-length black hair, two wicks, and small tanned hands covering his face. Akatsuki smiled softly and sadly, cooing as he reached for the child.

"Sai..."

The child version of his baby brother flinched and stared at him with wide, tearstained coal eyes. Akatsuki's smile widened fondly. The smaller Saiki just looked scared and confused.

"Y-You, um..." he stammered, cringing and shying away with a yelp, much to his brother's surprise. "W-What... Why... You're not going to punish me, are you?"

"Punish you?" Akatsuki echoed, shaking his as he came closer. "Why would I punish you when you've done nothing wrong, Sai?"

"I-I haven't done... I'm not innocent... See?" The child stood up, gesturing around helplessly. "I did all this? You call this nothing?"

The elder Shidoosha looked about indifferently but still smiled at him. "Of course I do."

Saiki stared at him in horror, eyes filling up with tears. "W-Why... would you... Urgh... Koji-san... KOJI-SAN!"

Akatsuki recoiled once at hearing Kojiro's name called instead of his and moved forward, just like when they were younger, just like the day Kojiro's death had been revealed to them both.

_He followed the younger out of curiosity. Nothing else. Ojijide always went on about how dangerous the younger was... but how could that be? He was quieter and sweeter and so precious._

_But he still cried out when his brother flung open the doors, curling into the corner of the room in fear and terror. Akatsuki approached him indifferently and he was smirking lightly as his twin squirmed and sobbed, begging him to leave before he got hurt..._

_And then the older child spoke up._

"Kojiro's dead, you know," Akatsuki whispered softly, much to the child's alarm as his eyes widened, more tears falling, slipping down his round cheeks. "He's dead and he's not ever coming back."

"N-No... He... It's... It's a lie... all of it... K-Koji-san said he would read me the story about the Snow Queen... He said he'd be back..." Saiki shook his head incessantly, falling to his knees and curling into a ball. "He said... He said..."

"He _lied_."

Those two words shattered the child as he stared blankly up at him. Akatsuki smirked and took the opportunity to draw his sibling into a tight embrace. He shushed the other tenderly, stroking his hair and kissing his temple.

Saiki reacted about as much as a doll, though his face was still so wet.

Akatsuki frowned, remembering this wasn't how the memory went...

_"Why do you do this to me?"_

_"Because you're my brother, right?"_

"What do you think you're doing, nii-chan?"

The older prince snapped up and picked up the child into his arms as he turned around, seeing a frowning, fully grown Saiki that was staring mournfully at his younger self in his twin's arms.

"Saiki-kun..."

"...Put him down. Please." Akatsuki obeyed, setting the child version down though he just sat there, still staring emptily at nothing.

"Not everything happens twice," Saiki growled as he came forward, shutting the younger one's eyes, and lying him down, kissing his forehead just as Akatsuki had so many times before. "Why did you feel the need to torture him? I thought he was supposed to be innocent?"

"...He's not you, is he?" his brother asked, dazed. "That child can't be you..."

"Congratulations. He's not." The black-haired wizard smiled sadly. "Lucky, huh? Do you want to know what he is?"

"...No, no... I just... wanted to find out that..."

"You wanted to slither your way into my dream like a snake and wrap around all my dearest secrets like a rabbit for a meal, right?" Saiki's smirk darkened and he was suddenly in front of his twin, lifting the other's chin up and tilting it to a scene that made Akatsuki's eyes widen.

It was a snake with almost burgundy and wine red scales, striking down a black rabbit, squeezing it and sinking its fangs into its delicate spine...

Akatsuki wanted to throw up.

"Saiki-kun, don't!" he hissed, snapping back to his sibling and taking his shoulders, squeezing them. "I... I don't want..."

"You don't want to become the villain?" Saiki's eyes were still on the predator devouring its prey. "You don't want to become the bad guy?"

"I don't want to end up _hurting_ you." Akatsuki gasped out, feeling cold and scared for once... somewhere in the back of his mind wondering if this was what his twin felt on a daily basis. "I would never, ever want to hurt you..."

"But how else can you keep me? How else can you control me?"

The older twin didn't understand.

Saiki finally turned back and smiled sadly up at him, and then he leaned forward, kissing his cheek chastely.

"You still don't get it." He whispered into his ear, sighing softly. "Wait until you do, Akatsuki-nii-chan."

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Their eyes both snapped open at the same time as Saiki pushed himself up, staring blankly at his still shaken brother.

"...Now do you see why I don't want you going in there?" He sounded mournful, shaking his head. "I don't want you to come across the other me in there."

Yes, because even the 'Saiki' in that dream wasn't the real one.

...Or was it?

"How much more do I need to know? Saiki-kun, you really ought to open up more..." Akatsuki grumbled, clenching his fists and glaring darkly at his kin. "What else are you keeping from me? What do I need to understand?"

The younger prince avoided his gaze sadly.

"I... don't know how to tell you..."

"You're too much. You're just too much." Akatsuki stood up, and Saiki only flinched.

"Y-You... You're not going to leave me all alone, are you? P-Please, I'll do anything... If I lose nii-chan... If I..."

"Don't be absurd," the older prince muttered, stopping at the other side of the room and sitting down, facing his reflection seriously. "I'm just going to stay here... for a while... and think."

The black-haired wizard wanted to sit beside him but remained where he was, lying his head down on the pillow, watching the other with glimmering coal orbs.

"...Sai... You know I don't want to hurt you right?" The question just slipped out.

"Of course not." He sounded absolutely certain.

For once, Akatsuki didn't believe it.

"What am I doing wrong? Kellysi-kun..."

"Who?"

"And Yuki-chan..."

"Who's that?" A smile appeared on Saiki's face, innocent and curious. "Who are you talking about?"

Akatsuki stared at him blankly and finally laughed, the sound harsh and rueful.

"No one at all..."

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I burst awake with a gasp, holding myself together and for some reason, tears were welling up in my eyes and my heart felt like there was a big, gapping, bloody hole in it.

_W-what was that...? Saiki-kun..._

Not Nick, but Saiki.

And I didn't know what I even dreamed about... if I dreamed at all, that is.

_It's probably worry,_ I convinced myself shakily, gulping as I did, wrapping my arms around my knees as I shivered in the cold air.

Nick stirred a bit beside me and I scooted away, not wanted to wake him.

My heart was still bleeding.

"Oh kami-sama, why can't I do anything right?" I moaned, burying my face in my knees. "I still haven't explained myself to him!"

I couldn't move though. I had no will in me to get up.

I... just wanted... to curl up... and die.

Die.

Because I deserved it.

Because I needed atonement.

Hah. Yeah right. Like I'd ever be brave enough to do that.

"I'm so pathetic..." I sighed into my knees, shaking my head lightly. But I still couldn't get Saiki, scared and confused and sad as Nick sneered at him while holding me, crying hysterically and _afraid_ of him, close.

I could have broken him like that.

I could have broken Saiki-kun.

"Otou-chan, I want peach castella..." Mana's sleepy voice yawned out, making me flinch. "Hey, hey okaa-chan, hey, hey, okaa-chan..."

Satoshi was draped around her and pulling her close, sighing into her ear and my future daughter murmured nonsense as I stared at the two in awe.

Saiki-kun and I... probably slept like that.

And along with the painful ache, there was a stab of longing.

Momoko was curled into a ball with Sakura in her arms, the two of them sleeping cozily together.

Julie laughed in her sleep, giggling something about floating pancakes and purple bears.

My eyelids fluttered and I nearly screamed when someone's hand landed on my shoulder.

"Calm down, Yuki-chan, it's me!" a voice hissed as a hand slapped over my mouth and pulled me away from Nick and the others. I would have struggled if I didn't know that voice so well that it made my stomach drop.

Doremi-chan.

Doremi dropped her hand and spun me around, smiling lightly. "I was looking for Akatsuki-kun... surely you understand right?"

Oh kami-sama, there was no way in _hell_ that I could let her know the truth.

"Aren't you looking for Saiki-kun too?"

I hesitated. "Yeah... something like that. Look, Doremi-chan? Why don't you go home and let Nick-kun and I take care of this..."

"I need you, Yuki-chan."

...What?

"Akatsuki-kun won't contact me... and the only way I can think of getting to him is through Saiki-kun. Kellysi-chan will only make things worse..."

Oh, no... Oh no, no, no, no...

"Can't you help me?" Harukaze pleaded, looking desperate. "Please, I... I just want to talk to him... Just you and me..."

I didn't want Doremi getting dragged into this... but I couldn't let her know.

So it was either tell her the truth and have her hate me now _and_ break her heart, or have her find out later and hate me later _and_ break her heart.

...Oh no, it was a dilemma. And I was selfish. And greedy.

"Okay."

I'd apologize to Nick again later.

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"What do you mean by vessel?" I asked my dream self, trying to get some answers. "And who, exactly, is _she_?"

"I thought you would have figured it out by now," my dream self retorted, looking a lot like I did whenever I got impatient or stressed. "The dark mistress you call Cardia Stigma."

"Cardia? Why in god's name does she need a vessel?"

"Akatsuki didn't tell you because he and Saiki didn't know that part of the legend," my dream self explained, noticing that I visibly shuddered with barely-repressed anger at the daytime elemental's name. "Though Cardia has been freed from her prison, her powers are beginning to weaken again as events continue to pass. She seeks a new vessel for her to inhabit so she won't lose the last tenets of her godly powers."

"Saiki-kun said her powers faded away, but they came back," I responded, trying to make sense of things here. "And now you're telling me they faded again?"

"An after-effect of Zeus' containment spell," my dream self continued. I was seriously getting weirded out here; how does my dream self know stuff I myself don't? "You see, Zeus knew that Cardia would eventually break out of her own accord, so he cast a little curse on Cardia that would drain her powers as long as she stayed in the body she used for her trips to earth."

"Which was the body she was sealed in, right?"

"Bingo. That's why Cardia is looking for a new vessel. If she loses the last tenets of her godly power, she'll die. You have to prevent her from acquiring her vessel."

"She's not thinking of..."

"No, she wouldn't use your sister. She's already got someone in mind."

"Who?"

"Figure it out."

And with that, my dream self vanished and a bright light filled the area until I couldn't see anything.

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Once I was back to reality, I quickly noticed that one particular member of our group was missing.

After gazing around the landscape, it easily became clear who was missing.

"Akatsuki-kun, I swear to god..." I growled, whipping out Brightcrest and holding it into the air.

_"Asobu soba de sakiyaki sore! Take me to Akatsuki-kun!"_

My body was wrapped in a bright emerald glow before I disappeared in a flash.

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Akatsuki knew who was knocking at the door to the Shidoosha domicile, and would have just left it alone had he not sensed Doremi's peculiar pink aura.

Walking up to the door, Akatsuki opened it and saw both Yuki and Doremi standing there.

_Better play it safe,_ Akatsuki thought. _Doremi-chan doesn't know about any of this, and it's going to stay that way for my brother's sake._

The pink witch wasted no time in rushing up and hugging the daytime prince. Akatsuki returned the hug, noticing Yuki moving away out of the corner of his eye, no doubt going to look for Saiki.

_I can't do anything about that while Doremi-chan's here,_ Akatsuki thought. _But I swear, Yuki-chan, if you break him, I'm going to make mincemeat out of you._

"It's been way too long, Aka-chan," Doremi noted, using Yuki's oft-used pet name for Akatsuki.

"Same to you, Doremi-chan," Akatsuki responded. "What's up?"

"Why haven't you contacted me, Akatsuki-kun?" Doremi asked. "It's been four days since I heard from you, and I started getting worried."

"Did Kellysi-kun say anything?" Akatsuki cautiously responded.

Doremi, to Akatsuki's slight relief, shook her head. "I knew Nick might make things worse if I brought him, so I came with Yuki-chan."

Akatsuki forced a smile, glad she didn't have Nick's perception.

"Let's just say things have been acting a little crazy around here," Akatsuki answered. "Do you know anything about the situation?"

"Not much," Doremi admitted. "All I know is what was relayed to me. Akemi-chan told me that a bunch of villains are on the loose."

"Only one's left, actually," Akatsuki continued. "Kellysi-kun and Yuki-chan wiped out Vanitas and Error."

"That's Nick and Yuki-chan for you," Doremi giggled.

Just then, Doremi noticed that Akatsuki's eyes had flickered.

_His eyes don't normally do that,_ Doremi thought. _There's something Akatsuki-kun's not telling me. And my instincts are telling me that Nick is somehow involved._

"I'm just glad to see you, Doremi-chan," Akatsuki stated. It was the absolute truth.

"You know I'm always happy to see you, silly," Doremi giggled, leaning forward to kiss her boyfriend.

Just then, a blue light appeared on the other side of the room.

"What the...?" Doremi gasped.

"I found you, you son of a bitch!"

Not giving Akatsuki any time to react, I quickly leapt out of the light and slashed towards him. Akatsuki just put up a shield of light to block the attack, but I came back for another slice, this time breaking through his shield and doing some damage. I hope that hurt, you jerk.

"Ouch! Jeez, did you have to mess with me in front of my girlfriend?" Akatsuki shouted.

I kept my demands simple and to the point. "Where is she?"

Akatsuki actually looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

I swung Brightcrest angrily. "Don't play dumb with me! Where is my sister, you son of a bitch?"

"How should I know?" Akatsuki shot back. "You were the last one to see her!"

"She's here. I know she is," I growled, Brightcrest transforming into the χ-blade. "Now WHERE IS SHE?"

It wasn't until just now that I noticed Doremi was standing nearby. When did she get here?

"Doremi-chan, maybe you should just leave," Akatsuki stated, a little more harshly than he should have worded it. I growled loudly, bringing the χ-blade into a battle stance.

"You're UNBELIEVABLE, you know that?" I screamed. I should have known he was going to do this. "First you shove Yuki-chan away and now your own girlfriend? You're a heartless jerk, YOU KNOW THAT?"

I didn't notice Doremi just about freaking out at this particular statement. I was only focused on Akatsuki and making him suffer as much as I could make him. He seriously needed to learn a lesson.

"When are you going to learn that life is not only about your 'precious' little brother?" I stated, beginning to channel my energy into the χ-blade. "You've always been a sort of teacher for things that we didn't understand..."

I whipped the χ-blade to the side as I prepared to charge. "...but I think it's time someone taught YOU a lesson!"

Rushing forward with all of my speed, I never gave Akatsuki a chance to react, slashing the χ-blade across his side.

_"Embrace your pride during your eternal slumber!"_ I chanted as I swung the χ-blade horizontally, creating an expulsion of ice energy that cut into Akatsuki multiple times.

_"Descend into ashes and scatter into nothingness!"_ I continued, tossing the χ-blade forward so it spun above Akatsuki, creating a vortex of wind that caused even more damage. I called the χ-blade back so I could prepare for my final strike, raising it high above my head.

_"Mystic Arte! Eternal Descent!"_ I chanted, slamming the χ-blade into the ground and creating an energy upheaval that slashed at Akatsuki from below.

I grinned, seeing as how my Mystic Arte had actually done some visible damage this time.

"Guys, stop!" Doremi exclaimed, nearly in tears. "You don't have to fight over something so stupid!"

"He can't learn any other way, Doremi-chan," Akatsuki growled, rising to his feet and crossing his hands over his chest.

Almost as if he had been expecting this, Saiki burst through the nearby door, his face panic-stricken.

"Nii-chan, don't do what I think you're doing!" Saiki exclaimed. "Don't you remember what happened the last time it happened?"

"Kellysi-kun needs to learn," Akatsuki stated. "I'm not going to let him or Yuki-chan break you any more, otouto-chan."

With that, Akatsuki began to glow with a bright light, letting out a battle cry before throwing his arms aside.

A rather evil-looking barrier surrounded most of the area that forced Doremi and Saiki away from the chaos that I knew was about to erupt.

When I was able to see again, I noticed something that kinda made me realize that I was in trouble.

Akatsuki was floating a couple inches off of the ground, his hands were encased in orbs of light, and his violet eyes flashed with a silver light.

And the thing that scared me the most?

A massive... thing... of pure light was floating behind Akatsuki, as if the daytime elemental was commanding it. And that beast would have looked radiant if it wasn't so terrifying, the monster of light looking almost completely disfigured with its disgusting face and sickle-like arms that moved as Akatsuki moved his own arms.

"Now will you understand?" Akatsuki stated in a voice that clearly wasn't his own. "YOU WON'T BREAK HIM!"

Before I could even react, Akatsuki had rushed at me and swung his arm forward, making the creature of light he was commanding slice one of its sickle-like arms at me, cutting deep into my side and forcing me back.

"Saiki-kun... pardon my bad French, but just what in the hell is going on?" Doremi exclaimed, tears flowing from her eyes and down her cheeks.

"Onii-chan just unleashed the Wraith of Light... it's a very special power he holds. He unleashed it once by accident and swore never to use it again. It's very uncontrollable, easily onii-chan's strongest light power," Saiki explained. "And it's raging out of control..."

Every strike that came at me came far too fast for me to anticipate, and I was getting ravaged because of it.

Every time I tried to slip a counterattack through, Akatsuki would just make the Wraith of Light slash at me even harder, as if he could sense my movements beforehand.

I was losing a fight for the first time in an utterly long time.

And that really scared me.

The instant I realized it, however, Akatsuki came back for another attack, tearing a rather painful gash in my arm and forcing me to drop the χ-blade.

The Wraith of Light launched a mighty slash through the χ-blade, and just like it had at the end of my final battle with Vanitas, the χ-blade shined brightly before shattering into shards of glass that eventually dissolved into nothingness.

Okay, now I was growing concerned for my well-being.

But any concern about my well-being faded when the Wraith of Light began slashing mercilessly into my body, not giving me any time to dodge and causing my body to erupt in a constant storm of pain.

I couldn't even scream in agony, I was in so much pain.

One final strike sent me flying through the barrier that had popped up and right into the wall.

Before I could do anything, Akatsuki rushed at me and continued slashing at my body.

Tears of agony began to flow down my cheeks as I realized I was probably going to die. What a way to die, huh? Killed by someone who I thought wasn't capable of killing someone?

Akatsuki bent forward, so his distorted eyes were looking straight into mine and writing my death sentence.

"You won't ever break anyone ever again," Akatsuki growled in his distorted voice.

I raised a finger to protest, but my entire being exploded in agony as one of the Wraith of Light's sickle arms pierced into my chest and straight through my heart.

As I fell to the ground, I knew that no measure of light and sound would ever pierce me again. One last thought ran through my mind...

_Yuki-chan... I'm so sorry..._

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As the barrier dispelled itself, Doremi and Saiki could only stare on in shock, Akatsuki still floating there with the Wraith of Light behind him.

At almost exactly the wrong time, Yuki burst onto the scene, obviously worried about Saiki.

"Saiki-kun! Why'd you run off from me? I..."

Yuki's rambling stopped dead upon catching sight of Nick's mangled body.

Yuki's lower lip trembled like mad as she looked over to Akatsuki, who was still floating there.

"A... A..."

Tears suddenly began streaming like waterfalls from Yuki's eyes. She snapped her gaze towards Akatsuki, a combination of rage and sadness highlighting her eyes.

"AKATSUKI SHIDOOSHA, HOW _**COULD**_ YOU?"

Something about the way Yuki said that caused Akatsuki's eyes to snap back to their normal violet hue, and he dropped back to his feet, the Wraith of Light instantly fading away.

"Ugh, my head... Yuki-chan, what happened? Why do you look so sad?" Akatsuki asked, obviously not remembering what he'd done while the Wraith of Light was commanding him.

Yuki just marched over and backhanded Akatsuki across the face.

"You're HORRIBLE, Akatsuki-kun!" Yuki screamed, the tears flowing freely now. "First you try to force me away from the love of my life over a stupid misunderstanding, and now you slaughter my dear brother, the only person I can count on now?"

"I... I killed him?" Akatsuki shivered, now noticing Nick's mangled body.

"Well, you got what you wanted, didn't you?" Yuki shouted, her voice becoming hoarse from all her yelling. "There's no one left for your brother now, IS THERE?"

"I didn't mean to kill him, Yuki-chan!" Akatsuki shot back. "I don't even remember doing it! Either way, I feel so sorry about it..."

Akatsuki's consciousness fluttered as Yuki delivered a flying spin kick to the side of Akatsuki's head.

"AND WELL YOU SHOULD!" Yuki screamed before storming back out into Mahoutsukaikai in tears.

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Mana suddenly jerked awake, having felt something that just horrified her.

"Nii-chan, wake up!" Mana exclaimed, shaking Satoshi awake.

"Yeesh, Mana-chan, what's wrong?" Satoshi asked.

"LOOK!" Mana shot back, pointing towards Sakura, whose torso was starting to become transparent.

"Um, guys? WHY AM I FADING AWAY?" Sakura exclaimed, instantly waking Julie and Momoko up.

"That's what I'm worried about! LET'S GET MOVING!" Mana shouted, forcing the group to stand up and start moving.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Yuki-chan, WAIT! Please, Yuki-chan!"

It was Doremi who rushed after the black witch first and Saiki finally snapped out of his daze to rush up to his brother, helping him up and grabbing his arm.

"I... I told you not to overdo it... I told you... Oh man, Nick-kun..."

Akatsuki couldn't react as the night elemental rushed up to Nick's mangled body and raised his hands up.

"There has to be something... I have to do something...!" he gasped out, hands glowing bright ebony before he activated his spell, shaking all over. "_Makurayami_!"

"Saiki, that's not going to do..." the older prince sighed, rubbing at his head. "If I really did injure him to that extent..."

"You did... how could you?" Saiki's spell turned fiercer as it was transferred more and more into his former friend's body. "I... I know we're family... but..."

"It's not just that!" Akatsuki burst out, finally losing it. "It's not just that we're family... I wouldn't do HALF the things for Papa that I'd do for _you_!"

His sibling didn't answer at first and he merely continued.

"You... You're just so fragile, you know that? You freak out easily, get paranoid, start getting critical and bossy whenever you're grouchy, you're so high maintenance that only someone as patient as Kojiro could ever put up with you."

Saiki tried his hardest to not get distracted from doing his best to heal Nick. Akatsuki laughed, almost brokenly.

"I didn't understand... he spoiled you rotten and yet everyone still hated you. Everyone wanted you dead. Guess what? Even Papa wished you weren't born at one point or another. Only the Mahoutsukaikai itself knows how much that hatred doubled when Kojiro died. Everyone wanted you to just burn into ashes, and believe me... many wizards wanted so badly to kill you that you couldn't even leave the castle anymore. What was the excuse Ojijide-san gave you? That you were too sickly?"

The night elemental froze, and he stopped, staring at Nick's mangled body in shock. His older twin shook his head.

"That was a lie and you knew it. If you left the safety of the castle walls for even an instant... no one would hesitate taking a knife to your throat..."

"I-I didn't..." Saiki murmured softly before shutting his eyes tightly. "No, I didn't..."

_I'm getting distracted...! Nii-chan's just a little out of it right now... He... He doesn't mean anything and Nick-kun's still dying! Yuki-chan can't lose her brother... I won't allow it..._

_"Makurayami!"_

"EVERYONE HATES YOU!" the daytime elemental finally yelled, falling to his knees, shaking his head over and over again. "No one understands... No one ever understands..."

"You're losing your composure. If you want to talk, then help me undo this."

Akatsuki looked up, eyes widening at seeing the tears dripping down his sibling's face, coal orbs lifeless but he still continued trying to heal the fallen green witch.

The older prince frowned and walked up, lifting up his hands towards Nick as well.

_"Araidasu."_

Saiki perked up as his spell hit the body as well, noticing Nick's face becoming a bit livelier as he twitched, just a bit.

"Only a shot of light will wake up his shutting down system. Your dark magic can heal his injuries, but his mind's still locking down." Akatsuki smiled sadly. "This should ensure that he wakes up, at least... or so that his spirit doesn't leave his body. That should be it. Day and night always make up the entirety of the life, right? There you go, Sai... we just spared the life of someone who nearly tried to kill one of us because of a misunderstanding. Again."

"...Nick-kun, you idiot..." The night elemental canceled his spell just as his twin had, knowing Nick looked more like he was sleeping than anything else. "Nii-chan, why did you let him set you off like that? It was just so unlike you and I was so scared... Yuki-chan was so infuriated that she didn't even see me anymore... Wait..."

"Pretending that you didn't know them for my sake was painful, wasn't it?" the older twin chuckled lightly, leaning down and carefully moving the green witch so that he was on his back again, feeling his forehead. "Warm. He's going to be fine. He'll regain consciousness soon enough... and we'll be long gone by then. This proves it. If he keeps jumping to conclusions like this, I'll never give him or Yuki-chan a chance."

"Nii-chan, that's unfair... H-He..." That's when Saiki realized he had been crying and hurriedly reached up to wipe the tears away, sniffling. "I-I'm so sorry... I'm sorry... I don't mean to be the way I am... I try... I really do... But as long as power like mine exists, people are going to die and suffer, right? I-I killed Koji-san..."

"Kojiro was killed by dark energy that was seeking you out as a vessel. Despite being a horror to everyone else, those on the side of Satan can't get enough of your aura and they want nothing more than for you as a pawn. Kojiro died because he wanted to protect you... To be honest, anyone else would have done the same. You may be dangerous when you're out of control with your power but people forget that all elementals are. Dark magic creating destruction is just more pronounced."

The night elemental looked down at him despondently, still flushed and teary. "But..."

"Actually, in all honesty... that's because darkness often sprouts from sins like greed and indulgence... lust and envy... They want more. They always want more. True darkness just swallows everything, regardless. Every element does that, so it doesn't make darkness different from everyone else... even light can swallow everything." Akatsuki stared at him, and Saiki flinched from the devoted stare. "But light and darkness can't be one without the other, Sai. Day and night can't exist without each other. We're the same way."

"So we're not that close. Congrats. Thank you for finally pointing that out." The younger prince wiped his tears away with his sleeve, sighing. "I can't do this. I can't possibly go back to Yuki-chan now. I can't even talk to Nick-kun. This is just too much. Can you please just end it? Now? Everyone hates me so what do I have to live for?"

"I'm sorry. But I can't do that. I'm too greedy."

"Why am I not surprised?" he lamented, smiling so heartbrokenly that Akatsuki literally felt a stab of pain in his chest. "I can't say no to you... no matter what I do, I can't say no to you. I can't forgive anyone until you do."

And I can't say everything... I just spot out every cold thing I can come up with so that I don't feel guilty. It never works but I can't tell you. I can't tell you anything.

"I try, I really do... I try not to be a bother... and when they ask me what I think, I-I answer... and every single time, they look at me like I've done something wrong... I can't please anyone... I can't..." Saiki shook his head again, shaking all over. "I give up. I just... I give up. I'm always wrong... always. I'm not the one nearly killed, that's always Nick-kun... diving in to save his sister even when he realizes that it's all a misunderstanding... No matter what I do, I can't be accepted by him... And Yuki-chan! She thinks I'm perfect when I'm not! I'm not enough for her and I never have been..."

"Saiki-kun, you're hyperventilating." The daytime elemental glanced down and noticed Nick stir just a bit. "Alright, that's enough. We have to leave before he wakes up."

His reflection looked up at him dolefully and nodded blankly. Akatsuki wrapped an arm around him, sighing.

"We can drop from the radar easily later... now, we just need to leave."

"...Yes..."

It hurt knowing that Saiki really couldn't reject even if he wanted to.

And the two disappeared in the blink of an eye right before Nick's eyes fluttered open and he groaned.

"...Yuki-chan...?"

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"I can't believe him, I can't believe him..."

"Yuki-chan, hold up!" Doremi finally exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me from behind as I froze up. "L-Let me explain...!"

I shoved her off, turning to her with a hiss.

"What could you possibly...!"

Then I saw her on the ground, staring up at me in horror, eyes filled with tears and lower lip trembling.

The same way her lips twitched when she couldn't get sick.

The same way she cried during stupid moments of her careless worry for everyone.

The same way she viewed me the first time I lost control in front of her, breaking down and sobbing before she held me until Nick came back.

"Oh, Doremi-chan..." I whispered, laughing weakly as I reached out for her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders as I buried my face into her neck just like when we were in junior high together. "I'm so sorry you had to see that..."

"Yuki-chan, Akatsuki-kun and Kellysi-chan... why didn't you tell me that they weren't on..."

"Good terms?"

"That's an understatement!" she yelled, shoving me away and glaring into my eyes harshly. "What happened? What's this about Saiki-kun? Why didn't you tell me anything?"

"I... didn't want you to get involved."

"I think I should have the right to be involved when there's something going wrong with my boyfriend, my friend, and Saiki-kun."

"I'm sorry. You would have had to choose and... now... Akatsuki-kun doesn't want anyone near Saiki-kun. We screwed up and he overreacted."

"...You and Nick are infamous for being overdramatic..." Harukaze mused, glancing downwards as she sighed. "Did Saiki-kun end up hurt?"

I hesitated. Doremi easily saw that.

"You know, a parent's number one fear is something happening to their child. Akatsuki-kun's the closest thing to a parent that Saiki-kun really has."

I looked at her sadly. "Yes, I understand that he wants to keep Saiki-kun safe, a-and I want him safe too... but he needs to understand that... we didn't..."

"Yuki-chan, Akatsuki-kun's not an idiot. He knows when there's a misunderstanding involving Saiki-kun."

He knew, yes... But wait... If he knew...

"I... I think this is a lot more complicated than you're making it out to be. But you can tell me the whole story later... now, we need to get back to Nick. He's not dead. Akatsuki-kun wouldn't kill anyone. I know he doesn't."

Doremi sounded like she held absolute faith in him and I envied that. I still failed believing in Saiki and...

_He was right there when Nick was hurt. He was **right there**._

Oh crap.

"Doremi-chan, for Akatsuki-kun, do you...?"

"I need both sides of the story before I can decide what to do, Yuki-chan. But I don't hate him. I'll never hate him."

"Were you afraid of him?"

"...No. He won't hurt me. Never again."

I envied that. I really did.

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Nick was lying face down in the dirt when we got there and I was nervous, but I didn't fail to notice the lack of injuries on him now.

And then...

"My head hurts."

I gasped softly as he pushed himself up and looked surprised at the sight of me as I smiled sadly.

"Nick-kun, morning."

_This is Saiki-kun and Akatsuki-kun's doing, isn't it?_

Doremi lied against a tree, frowning as she noticed both the brothers were gone without a trace and... quite honestly... neither of us were able to sense their auras now, so no simple spell would spot them and we were now reduced to searching for a needle in a haystack.

"Yuki-chan, what happened? Wait, Akatsuki-kun..."

"Rest, brother. There's nothing to do here. Look, a home."

Was this were Saiki-kun resided?

I bit my lip.

"We... We can rest in here while you heal."

"I feel perfectly fine," Nick huffed, shaking his head. "I'm just tired... and hungry. If Akatsuki-kun and I got into a fight, I don't feel hurt or sore in the slightest."

"That's because you're hyped up on the painkiller of Saiki-kun's dark magic," Doremi called out, laughing a little painfully. "You're probably tired because when Akatsuki-kun does the light shock thing, it's only a flicker."

How was she so sure about that?

"Yuki-chan?" I perked up was Momoko's voice was called out of the forest, much to our surprise as we saw the others rushing up to us. "Nick? Where are you two?"

"MOMO-CHAN, YUKI-CHAN'S WITH ME!"

"E-Eh, Doremi-chan?"

"Dad, are you alright?" Sakura burst out while Nick only nodded. Julie looked worried and both my kids were just staring at me while I gestures to the building behind me.

"...Let's stay here, agreed?"

"That's a little small, okaa-chan."

"I don't mind standing guard..." Julie stated, turning her attention to Doremi with a wide smile. "Let's get to know each other."

"...Fine."

I couldn't help but smile sadly.

_Everything's fleeting now..._

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I found only one bed, and just as I pulled up the blankets, I picked up Saiki's scent, wrapped around all the covers. I wanted to crawl in myself, taking in the entire fragrance when they were even still warm from his heat.

Then I heard a loud thump and I flinched, seeing Nick lying against the door, groaning.

"I'm drained..."

"That's to be expected... man, this place is small though... I wonder what's in here..." I hesitated the last minute on grabbing the handle to one of the drawers and soon sighed, shaking my head.

"No, you need to rest and I can go back outside and wait for you."

No answer.

"Alright Nick-kun?"

"..."

"Alright?"

"..."

"Nick-kun?"

He was clearly sleeping on the floor and I almost laughed, but just shook my head.

_Oh, Nick-kun..._

I turned back to the bed, wondering how Saiki slept... Did he curl up like he does in those instances we slept together, him wrapping around me like a coat and sighed, nuzzling my shoulder?

I gulped, feeling my heart pound at the memory.

_God damn it. Even if I'm supposed to be angry at him for following Akatsuki-kun the way he does, I still can't help but want him as mine again..._

I took a deep breath of the covers, taking in the spices and exotic sensations that even made my fingers tingle before sucking it up, and helping put my brother to bed yet again.

No doubt he'd sleep easily with the bed still worn, still warm, and still so soft and hardly stirred with how still Saiki was when he slept.

I tucked him in, licking my lips, wondering vaguely what he dreamed about.

Then I caught the sight of a book in one of the shelves, worn and loved. I took it curiously and opened it, eyes widening at the handwriting... more importantly... the words.

_For Saiki, From Kojiro_

_Since you wanted a story of your own... I think you'd like the Snow Queen... I told you about it and I picked it up from the Human World just for you. You and Kai are a lot alike. Hope you enjoy. Andersen's my favorite author and he has many stories that'll either make you smile or cry. If you want another book by him, don't hesitate to ask. You know I'll get you anything, right?_

...Kai?

And in the corner of room while my brother slumbered, I read.

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Believe me, it's not easy to keep your composure after dying and coming back to life by some miracle of god.

I was so sure I was as good as dead after what Akatsuki did to me. I'd even made my peace and everything.

And then I find out I'm apparently alive, Saiki having literally saved my behind.

That, my dear readers, is the last thing I EVER expected to happen after what we've been through these past couple days.

As I tried to shake the haze of dying and resurrecting out of my clouded head, I looked to my side and noticed my sister reading one of Saiki's books.

I cast a cursory glance at the book cover and saw that it was called "The Snow Queen".

Then I remembered Yuki telling me once that Saiki loved the works of Hans Christian Andersen.

Isn't that interesting?

"Yuki-chan? You okay over there?"

She looked up from the book and glanced over at me.

"Well, good morning there, sleepyhead," Yuki giggled, walking up and hugging me. "Good to see you're all right."

"Yuki-chan, I want you to be completely honest with me. Did I die back there?"

"Yeah, you did, but they brought you back to life."

I didn't have to ask who 'they' was.

"Problem is, they disappeared after that and hid their auras. It's gonna take a miracle to find them now."

"Great. As if this day couldn't get any worse..."

"Nick-kun, we both screwed up, didn't we?"

I nodded. I didn't want to admit it, but it was the truth. "Akatsuki-kun's never gonna give us a chance now... if only there was some way we could talk this out without one of them trying to get in our way..."

I sat down on the bed, Yuki resting her head on my shoulder. "This has to end, Yuki-chan, and it needs to end now."

"I just wish there was something we could do..."

I looked out the nearby window. The sun was beginning to set over the Mahoutsukaikai, giving everything an orange glow.

"But I guess the best thing we can do right now is to find Cardia Stigma and get rid of her," I noted, running some connections through my head. "Maybe by then, we'll have something to go on."

"I guess..."

I took a good look outside. Suddenly, I remembered something.

"Yuki-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"While I was out of it, my dream self told me that Cardia Stigma is looking for a vessel because her powers are starting to fade again," I explained.

"Is that why she's doing all of this?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

I glanced over at The Snow Queen. "One of Saiki-kun's favorite books, huh?"

Yuki nodded. "I just felt like reading. That book is probably as close as I'm going to get to my Saiki-kun until we hopefully get things fixed."

"You know, Yuki-chan, they're not like us."

"Huh?"

I gazed down at my sister, ruffling her hair affectionately. "I don't think it's something I'll understand for a long time, but I just have a feeling that once we understand, we'll be able to fix this."

"Understand what?" Yuki asked, a little confused. I honestly didn't blame her.

"I'll let you know when I figure it out myself..."

Suddenly, I realized something. "Where'd everybody else go?"

"They're resting in the other rooms," Yuki answered. "Thank god we found a nice place to kip in while we recharge, huh?"

"No doubt," I stated, yawning a bit. And before I knew it, I was fast asleep in my sister's arms again.

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When my eyes opened, I was back in that place again.

"Look, I don't need to be stuck inside my own heart every time I fall asleep!" I shouted, my voice echoing across the confines of my heart.

"Nick-kun? This is your heart?"

I whipped around and sure enough, there was my sister.

"I think it is, anyway," I responded. "This is the same place I fought Vanitas when he possessed me. So, what are you doing here in my heart, sis?"

Yuki actually flinched, as if I'd struck her or something. "I..."

"Hey, I'm not mad at you, Yuki-chan," I stated, reaching out to hug her. I didn't ever like seeing her sad. "I'm just honestly confused, that's all."

"She's in here because your hearts are connected."

Casting a glance to my right, my dream self was standing there, alongside another Yuki.

"When you fell asleep, Nick, your hearts connected to each others'," my dream self explained. "And I'm actually glad you're both here, because we need to talk."

"What's up?" Yuki asked.

"Guys, she's coming," Yuki's dream self stated quite clearly.

"Cardia, right?" I growled.

"She knows you're in the world of wizards," my dream self relayed. "She's going to be going after the person she's chosen for her vessel."

"It's... not me, is it?" Yuki wondered cautiously. I can still remember the last time something had used my sister's body for a vessel and just about killed her.

Yuki's dream self shook her head. "She has already chosen who she needs."

After a couple seconds of silence, I suddenly realized who they meant. Who Cardia was planning to use as her new vessel.

"Oh, crap..."

"You know, huh?" Yuki's dream self asked.

"It's not Saiki-kun, is it?" Yuki frantically wondered. I just shook my head. "Then... who is it?"

How was I supposed to say this? "Sis, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"This is why we needed to talk," my dream self noted. "So we could warn you, and help you guys prepare for it."

I nodded, and then I wasn't sure what I was seeing.

Our dream selves disappeared almost instantly, and once again, the stained glass platform that represented my heart shattered into shards of rainbow colors.

I quickly willed Brightcrest into my hand, seeing as how I couldn't use the χ-blade anymore after Akatsuki destroyed it.

"Yuki-chan, you may wanna stay sharp," I cautioned. Yuki nodded and summoned Tobiume.

"So, you are the ones."

I looked up, and there was Cardia Stigma, plain as day.

"I never thought I would get to meet the two who have caused me so much trouble," Cardia stated. I angrily swung Brightcrest in retaliation.

"Oh, you've got trouble if you don't get out of our dreams RIGHT NOW," I growled.

"Such rage," Cardia stated calmly. "If only you hadn't usurped that rage onto the daytime prince."

"Look, you little bitch, I'm not making any more mistakes," I shot back, Brightcrest glowing radiantly.

"So you say now," Cardia taunted. "The two of you are nowhere near strong enough to defeat me as you are, but how about I test your skills a little?"

"You're going to wish you hadn't," I stated. "Yuki-chan, let's get her!"

Yuki nodded, and we both charged for Cardia at the same time.

Though, as the battle raged, I kept getting that strange feeling. I knew who Cardia was planning to use as a vessel.

As if things couldn't get any worse...

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

My eyes shot open as I pulled myself up with a groan.

Of course I'd wake up. It was just a dream, wasn't it? Wasn't it?

Dreams and nightmares do nothing really but distract us from reality.

I turned to my brother and he seemed uneasy in his rest. I toyed with the idea of shaking him awake before retrieving Saiki's book.

I read through the message at the front again, pursing my lips in thought.

_I wonder... how much Saiki-kun reads this..._

Funny how screwed up this adventure was going... It was probably bulldozing my ex's mentality as we speak.

_My ex._ God how it hurt to refer to him like that... But I lost the right to date him the second I stopped trusting him. Hell, I lost the right to deserve knowing him the second I let Nick hurt him.

You know what? I'm sick of it. I'm sick of being selfish and I'm sick of hurting him. Who gives a damn about it when the one I want doesn't want me anymore?

Akatsuki was right. It was for his sake.

I made the decision then and there. We weren't going to chase him and Akatsuki anymore. We were going to stop Cardia, go back home... or... Nick can go back to Momoko and I could do what I did before I met him.

We didn't have to speak to each other anymore and he wouldn't have to be hurt anymore. That was fine. I accepted that.

But... _Satoshi-kun and Mana-chan?_ My mind supplied as I froze. Right. I was supposed to have kids with him.

...What was I supposed to do about that?

_Then again, if he didn't love me... I couldn't force him... those two will just not exist, right? Maybe they're already gone right now..._

_They could already be gone._ My stomach dropped and I immediately rushed out.

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I yanked the door open and stumbled in, seeing my future children were...

They were curled up and perfectly fine. My traitorous heart leapt at what this meant while my mind was disgusted.

Mana snuggled in closer to her brother and Satoshi's eyes flickered open as I met brown, being reminded rather brutally that it would never be coal. I gulped as he looked puzzled.

"Okaa-san? What's wrong?"

"I... I just needed to check something and... and I got it... I got it and isn't that great?" I laughed a little hysterically.

They're still here. I still have a chance. I don't deserve it. I really don't.

"...You're lying, aren't you?" He frowned sadly, a little hurt. "Is it about otou...?"

"Satoshi-kun, I order you and Mana-chan to return back to the future."

"H-Huh?" He scrambled up, causing Mana to fall to the ground, earning her to yelp as she pushed herself up, blinking tiredly.

"Okaa-chan? Onii-chan? What's going on...?"

I didn't waver. "I want both of you to go back to the future. Get out of my time."

She looked hurt and Satoshi looked shocked.

"But... Mommy..."

"Did I hesitate? I TOLD YOU TWO TO LEAVE!"

They hesitated but looked towards one another in sad resignation, speaking at the same time.

"If that is what mother wants..."

And just like that, they were gone and I was alone.

_I don't deserve it... I give up. I do..._

"I guess I should return home too, then?" a voice quipped behind me, earning me to jump as I spun around and blinked, eyes widening as Sakura smiled sadly.

"Take care of my dad and mom, will you?" She disappeared too, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I bitterly wondered if I should search for Julie.

It didn't matter. I didn't really care.

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"Yuki-chan, there you are," Doremi cheerily called out as she entered the room, arms folded behind her back. "Hey, Kellysi-chan is still sleeping and Julie-chan decided to talk to Momo-chan and, uh..."

"Hey... What happened to Kurumi-chan, Moriko-chan, and Akemi-chan?"

"They... They're with everyone else I think... Hazuki-chan and Onpu-chan are worrying up storms right now..." Harukaze laughed a bit tensely. "I'm sure Hana-chan's concerned right now too... I..

"Hey... What happened to Kurumi-chan, Moriko-chan, and Akemi-chan?"

"They... They're with everyone else I think... Hazuki-chan and Onpu-chan are worrying up storms right now..." Harukaze laughed a bit tensely. "I'm sure Hana-chan's concerned right now too... I... We should probably let them help us more..."

"Wouldn't they get hurt too, I wonder?"

"Friends are our allies. We have to trust them, don't we?"

"...Trust..."

I didn't even know the word anymore. I wondered if I ever did to begin with. I probably... I probably-

"Yuki-chan. What do you and Nick-kun plan on doing?"

I froze.

Doremi frowned, repeating the question.

"What do you want to do?"

What a good question.

"I... I don't know what to do, Doremi-chan. I'll come up with a strategy later... with Cardia..."

My friend frowned and I perked up, lips twitching in distaste as I realized that _obviously_...

"That's not what I was referring to and you know it, Yuki-chan."

I growled and Doremi stood her ground.

"Akatsuki-kun's my boyfriend and Saiki-kun is his brother! You can't honestly expect me to be all fine and dandy with _this_!" She gestured to me helplessly, shaking her head. "And to be honest, I'm sick of playing as the sweet supportive girlfriend that pretends she understands when she doesn't. I don't understand. I don't."

Yeah. Who would understand anyway?

"It doesn't matter. I'm not going to chase him anymore and make things worse."

"You're only a part of the problem," Doremi huffed. "Nick hasn't been completely innocent in all of this."

"I'll take the blame. Nick-kun won't be troubled by it anymore."

"THAT'S WHAT I MEAN!" she finally screamed, grabbing my attention as I saw tears welling up in her eyes. "You're ten times worse than Akatsuki-kun, Yuki-chan! And it kills me to see you two hurting each other like this..."

I didn't even know who she was referring to. I was frozen enough as it was as she reached up and wiped at her eyes.

"Poppu and I... are never this bad. What the hell is wrong with you two?"

"You and Poppu-chan... had a perfectly normal life, Doremi-chan. It's not the same."

"Yeah, I know," she responded bitterly. "I know and I can't do anything about it..."

"That's true... so you shouldn't try to understand and..."

"That said, I do understand the pain of shoveling other's blames onto yourself and being so focused on one thing that you shatter everything else."

I perked up, awed as she bit her lip.

"I don't want that to happen to you or to Akatsuki-kun... and if I have to make a point with you two..."

When she looked up, there was a determination in those magenta eyes that I had never seen before that both amazed and terrified me.

"I will and you both best be prepared."

With that, she spun heel and left. I slid to the floor.

The only thing I could hear was my heavy breathing and pounding heartbeat that was like a sledgehammer against my ribs.

I bit my finger, drawing blood. The metallic taste did little to pacify me.

_God, what the hell..._

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Nick still wasn't awake when I returned to the room.

That was fine. I honestly didn't expect anything different.

_But what do I expect? Do I want to talk to Nick-kun?_

_But what is there to say?_

_What can be said?_

_What should I say?_

_Do I even know?_

_What comes after stopping Cardia?_

I was honestly sick of the idea of another adventure. I just wanted to relax and forget everything while I could and while...

Nick groaned in his sleep and I piled more blankets onto him instinctively.

_What did Doremi-chan mean...?_

Doremi was mature when she needed to be, but as strong as she was weak. I knew Doremi... not as well as I wanted to believe.

I was still shocked at times by the stories Hazuki would tell me.

Doremi was like an angel, she really was... but not in the way people would think... I was compared to an angel... but that was because no one would see the clipped feathers from behind my back.

Not to mention my broken heart would be there, as well...

It was all the same.

All of it.

That was that.

Nick snored. I sat in a chair, pulling out the picture I stole, tracing the innocent curves of the black-haired boy's face, still not straight handsome lines quite yet.

I smiled bitterly and pocketed it again and sighed.

I could only wonder if my brother would share what Cardia was planning.

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

It didn't take long for me to wake up after that mess.

Makes me wonder if Cardia really even intends to fight us... maybe she's waiting to fight us for real until she acquires her new vessel?

I shivered with disgust at the very thought of that. How ironic could you possibly get?

Yuki's probably gonna want to know what that knowledge is. It's not something I think she's going to like, and it already makes this complicated adventure of ours even worse.

Yuki looks like she's given up all hope of getting back together with Saiki, and I can't honestly say I blame her.

To be quite brutally honest, I don't know who's to blame for any of this, because everything's become so convoluted, I don't think we'd stand an icicle's chance in hell of straightening things out unless we defeat Cardia and get our answers that way. She's all we have left to take care of, so once she's gone, this whole thing should be easier to understand.

At least, I hope so...

"Yuki-chan, you okay?" I asked cautiously, not wanting to make Yuki sad or angry. After everything that's happened, Yuki's been a little emotionally unstable, and it's been getting me worried.

Yuki looked over at me, a sad expression on her face. "Oh, good morning, Nick-kun," she replied, smiling brightly in hopes of keeping me out of the loop.

No dice, sis. You should know me better than that.

"The kids left, didn't they?" I wondered. I couldn't sense their auras anymore, so I knew what had happened.

Yuki's smile instantly faded. "It's for the best. It won't drag us down any more than we've already been."

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Yuki-chan?" I asked.

To my surprise, Yuki laughed a bit, a very hollow-sounding laugh.

"Oh, I'm _just fine_," Yuki stated quite sarcastically before burying her face in her hands. "I am so screwed up."

"Yuki-chan, what's..."

"Nick-kun, no matter how you look at it or what angle you view it from, this entire mess is my fault," Yuki explained. "I let my irrational fear of my own freaking boyfriend get the better of me just because I had a stupid nightmare, and things just seemed to TAKE OFF from there."

"Yuki-chan, that's not..."

"Don't try and talk me out of this, Nick-kun. I know you want to, but it's not going to work. Things only got worse when Error started masquerading as Saiki-kun and you attacked the real Saiki-kun. I didn't do anything to stop you, which just proves it."

"But... but I didn't..."

"I'm not saying it's your fault for attacking him, Nick-kun. I'm not even mad. It's my fault for letting you do it and letting our trust in him get completely screwed by my own ineptitude."

Yuki facepalmed her forehead. "I am so useless."

That statement got me moving. Before I could even stop myself, I marched right up to Yuki and slapped her, as if trying to force my point through.

"Yuki-chan, stop spouting that kind of nonsense!" I screamed, not caring that I might wake up the others in doing so. "You are NOT useless!"

"HOW THE HELL AM I NOT USELESS?" Yuki shouted back. "This whole goddamn mess is my fault!"

"And that's all the more reason we have to find Saiki-kun and fix this before it's too late!" I exclaimed, only to feel a harsh impact on the side of my face.

Before I knew it, I was sprawled across the floor, my cheek stinging a little from where Yuki had just punched me.

"DON'T YOU GET IT, NICK-KUN?" Yuki screamed. "It's already too late! There's nothing I can do to fix any of this! Akatsuki-kun nearly murdering you was the last straw! He's never gonna let us see Saiki-kun AGAIN! IT'S OVER!"

I slowly stood up, trying not to lose my balance. Man, my sister's got one heck of a swing...

The instant I locked eyes with her, her anger had suddenly dissolved, and now she looked like she was about to burst into tears at any second, her eyes filled with tears.

"It's over... it's actually over..." Yuki whispered, trying not to break down in front of me. "I'm never going to see him again, am I?"

And with that, Yuki collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. I immediately rushed over to her side, only for her to start gasping the words "I'm sorry" over and over again.

I got down on my knees and reached over to hug her. I instinctively knew she was apologizing to me and not Saiki this time. She honestly believes she and Saiki are done, but I won't let that happen. One way or another, I'll find a way to fix this madness.

"I'm sorry, Nick-kun... I'm so sorry..."

Smiling by this point, I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

"Hey, hey," I stated soothingly, not wanting to escalate the situation. "If all you're going to do is apologize, isn't it enough if I forgive you already?"

Yuki looked up at me, tears still falling from her eyes.

"I want to say it's not, but you know I can't lie to your face, Nick-kun," Yuki giggled, and you can tell how relieved I was when I saw the sparkle return to her eyes. "You're too good for me."

"I know you'd rather it be Saiki-kun who's hugging you right now and not me, but I just..."

To my honest surprise, Yuki shook her head. "No, it is you I'd prefer this time, Nick-kun. I've already accepted the fact that Saiki-kun and I are over and done. If we actually get a chance to fix it, yippee for us, right? But unless that happens, which it most likely won't, I'm just gonna stay with you like we did for so long before I even met Saiki-kun..."

At those words, I rushed headlong into a memory.

_I looked up and down the rows of booths, but still no sign of my sister. Figures she'd get hopelessly lost in her favorite carnival when they redesign every freaking thing in said carnival._

_Man, I really hope I can find her before I have to resort to tearing this place apart like I did last time..._

_And then, I heard voices._

_"Wow, Saiki-kun, you've got one heck of a throw, don't you?"_

_"It's not something I really pride myself on, but yeah..."_

_At that precise moment, I saw Yuki crossing a nearby booth with someone I didn't know, though he seemed to look very familiar to me..._

_"All those people before us couldn't even hit the pegs, but you actually got a perfect!" Yuki exclaimed. "How in the world did you..."_

_She stopped on a dime when she caught sight of me._

_"NICK-KUN!" Yuki exclaimed, rushing up to hug me and tossing the heavy tan fluffy bear she was carrying into the arms of her escort._

_"I was so worried we weren't gonna find you, Nick-kun," Yuki stated._

_"'We'?" I asked, a little curious. "Who's he?"_

_"Nick-kun, this is Shidoosha Saiki-kun, Akatsuki-kun's younger brother," Yuki explained. Saiki waved at me._

_Brother? Holy heck, there's something I didn't know..._

_"When I got lost, he said he'd help me find you," Yuki continued. "He's really just a wonderful boy!"_

_Hearts flew from her eyes at that statement._

_Saiki just shook his head. "I'm not really THAT wonderful, Yuki-chan..."_

"Things have changed so much, Nick-kun," Yuki stated, still crying a bit. "Sometimes, I wasn't sure who to trust anymore. But when I look back on it now, I realized that I was stupid for not realizing that I could always trust you no matter what happens. You'd never leave me behind. Every time I make a stupid mistake, you're the one who's always comforted me and telling me it'll be all right. You of all people know that I love you, Nick-kun. And no matter what happens, that's not going to change."

With that, Yuki leaned forward and kissed me for a few seconds.

"I'm really so lucky to have someone like you, Nick-kun, you know that?"

Yuki cuddled into my chest and we just stayed there like that for a good while.

"Say, Nick-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"You said you know something about what Cardia is up to. Could you please tell me?"

And somehow, I knew that was going to come up sooner or later. I guess there's really no point in keeping it from her anymore, is there?

"Yuki-chan, you have to promise me something first."

"Anything, Nick-kun."

"You have to promise not to tell anyone about what I'm about to say. This is just between you and me, okay?"

Yuki smiled and kissed my cheek. "Promise."

I sighed in relief. "Okay. You heard from our dream selves that Cardia is looking for a new vessel so her soul doesn't die along with her powers, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you saw that I realized who she's planning to use as her vessel, right?"

"That's what I want to know, Nick-kun. Who's she looking for?"

I took a deep breath. I know she's not going to like this.

"Cardia's new vessel is Akatsuki-kun."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"This place should be safe," Akatsuki noted. "You get some sleep, okay, otouto-chan?"

For once, Saiki didn't get a rise out of that name and just nodded.

As Akatsuki walked out to get some fresh air, a pulse wave shot through his head, causing him to drop to his knees.

"What the hell?" Akatsuki wondered, standing up only for Cardia Stigma to appear and punch Akatsuki in the chest, instantly dazing the light elemental.

"So, I finally found you," Cardia sneered.

"What... do you want, lady?" Akatsuki growled.

"You should know," Cardia responded, pointing towards the hut where Akatsuki and Saiki were staying. "I believe something in there belongs to you."

"You're not taking my brother!" Akatsuki shouted, shifting into fighting stance. Light energy wrapped around his hands. "I promised myself I wouldn't let anyone break him anymore! And that includes you!"

"Hmph," Cardia groaned, raising her hand. The hut shined brightly before lifting something out if it and into the sky. It only took Akatsuki a second to realize that it was Saiki floating there.

"You need to go away now. How about I send you somewhere that you won't be a problem?"

Cardia waved her hand and Saiki disappeared.

"SAIKI-KUN!" Akatsuki screamed, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"And now, Shidoosha, it is time for the final union," Cardia stated, drawing her own personal weapon and bewilderingly stabbing herself in the heart with it. This released her heart, which resembled a glowing ball of light.

"What the...?" Akatsuki exclaimed.

"At last, our moment is here," Cardia sneered. "Out with the old and brittle vessel, and in with a younger, stronger new one."

Cardia began to glow brightly, though she didn't fade away.

"I swore I would survive, and be there to see what awaited beyond the Day of Darkness," Cardia proclaimed. "And now, Akatsuki, it is your bright soul that shall be the ark that sustains me!"

Cardia pointed at Akatsuki, and her heart flew straight for him. Akatsuki hastily put up a shield of light, but it was no use, as the heart broke through his shield and absorbed itself into his body. Akatsuki fought against it for a few seconds before going limp and being surrounded by a cocoon of darkness.

Cardia smiled evilly, dipping back as her body dissolved into light particles that faded into nothingness.

The cocoon of darkness surrounding Akatsuki dissipated the instant Cardia's body faded away. Though Akatsuki's physical appearance hadn't changed much, his violet hair had shifted to a dark green hue and an aura of pure darkness was shimmering around him.

"Conceived in twilight, birthed to the light," Akatsuki proclaimed, though instead of his own voice, Cardia's voice came from his mouth whenever he spoke now. "This heart belongs again to darkness."

Akatsuki began to walk forward, his eyes still closed.

"All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it. It grows, consumes it. Such is its nature. In the end..."

Akatsuki stopped and opened his eyes. Instead of their normal violet color, they were the piercing yellow of Cardia Stigma, showing that Cardia has completely taken over Akatsuki's body.

"...every heart returns to the darkness whence it came."


End file.
